Nantucket Round Purse by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950

Nantucket Round Purse by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950, a very early Nantucket diminutive round woven purse from during the first few years Reyes was making Nantucket baskets, having a cane weave on rattan staves, pine top and bottom plates, carved swing handle fastened with copper rivets, and a carved wooden peg clasp; signed on the bottom Made In Nantucket, Jose Formoso Reyes with image of island.

The basket remains in excellent condition, with a perfect warm honey patina. This piece is ideal for those who prefer to not have any bone or ivory mounted on their basket, or who wish to export their purse to another land.

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. While Reyes began making his purses in the very late 1940s, he did not begin dating them until 1960. Reyes remains highly revered and collected as a great innovator and the inventor of the Nantucket Purse.

Measures: 6-1/4 in H x 6-3/4 in Diameter