BASKETS

ANTÓNIO NUNES DOS SANTOS + LUÍS DIAS
Alcongosta, Fundão

Wicker baskets woven from chestnut twigs, traditionally used in picking Fundão cherries, handmade using the traditional basketry techniques that António Nunes dos Santos learned from his father. 

António cuts the wood from the surrounding forests in January, before the new shoots appear, searching out four-year old chestnut branches. The timber is buried in pits to keep it moist, to be taken out as the craftsman needs it. The basket is woven by hand with the help of a weaving hook, and includes a wooden hook so that it can be hung on the stairs or on the branch of a tree.