Nantucket Purse by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950

Nantucket Purse by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950, a very early Nantucket woven purse from during the first few years Reyes was making Nantucket baskets, having a cane weave on rattan staves, with carved swing handle mounted with petite whittled wooden knobs, carved cherry peg clasp, and a carved ebony sperm whale by Charlie Sayle mounted on cherry top plate; signed on the bottom Made In Nantucket, Jose Formoso Reyes with image of island, and dated 1961. Accompanied by Reyes’ business card with original work order for the basket (specifying an oval basket with cherry top and peg, and ebony whale), and a postal stub for shipping the basket in 1961. Reyes is known to have started dating his baskets in 1960, and at that time many former customers often returned his earlier baskets to him to have dates added; 1961 is most likely such a post-dating in this case, in view of the other extremely early features of this basket, especially the wooden knobs, peg, plain top and ebony whale.

The basket remains in amazingly fantastic condition, and so lightly used to give it a perfect warm honey patina.

Jose Reyes (1902 – 1980) was born in the Philippines and moved to Nantucket immediately following World War II in 1947. He met Mitchy Ray, the last person on island still making Nantucket baskets at that time, and learned the craft. Within a few years Jose adapted the traditional Lightship basket form to a purse by adding a lid and a swing handle, launching the modern era in the Nantucket basket saga. Reyes remains highly revered and collected as a great innovator and the inventor of the Nantucket Purse.

Charles Sayle moved to Nantucket in the 1920s and established himself as one of the island’s foremost artisans. Known for his carvings of whales, scrimshaw, ship models, shadowboxes and folk art, he was approached by Jose Reyes for ideas to adorn the top of his Nantucket purses: his carved ebony and whale tooth whales, gulls and islands quickly became iconic. Charlie’s work can be seen in the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum, in the Lightship Basket Museum, and adorning lightship baskets, shops and restaurants around the Island.

Measures: 6-1/4 in H x 8 in L x 6 in W