Description: Fruit Baskets and their matching stands are very popular and are one of the most useful and decorative of Canton forms. we have divided Fruit Baskets into 5 categories: No Handles, Shell Handles, Twisted Handles, Square Handles & Florets, and Solid Sided. This page is devoted to the extremely rare reticulated or pierced baskets with square handles and decorated with florets.

The term “reticulated” means here, a network of diamond and triangle shaped holes. Shown are 4 baskets and one stand. This page is incomplete as we do not have a complete Canton set to show and non-Canton baskets are included to fill in knowledge gaps. Color of reticulated baskets ranges from a light blue to dark blue. The one Canton pattern basket and its married Canton stand is on the left and in the 3 following pictures. This poor condition basket is the only one with a rain cloud border but it is missing its handles. The Canton stand was purchased separately and is in excellent condition. Both have a row of triangle reticulations nearest the rain cloud borders and closest to the Canton scene. The rest of the reticulations are 5 diamond shaped rows on the basket and 1 row on the stand.

The other non-Canton pattern baskets are included here to illustrate what the square handles would look like. They are in the last 3 pictures and there is a closeup of one of the reconstructed square handles. All these handles are reconstructed! They do show the fancy attachment leaves that were left and closely resemble the Canton basket’s leaves. All the non-Canton baskets have the florets on the outsides and the same reticulation patterns. None have rain cloud borders and they have elements of the Nanking pattern. All baskets are oval and have glazed bottoms. Neither Jane Wilson or Herbert Schiffer have pictures of the Canton square handled baskets in their publications.

Fruit baskets with handles are quite a bit more expensive than baskets with no handles. All handles are very delicate and exposed and can be easily damaged. That is one reason why undamaged baskets are more expensive. When buying baskets with handles look carefully to see if they have been repaired which would affect the value. Baskets and stands often become separated and we estimate that stands alone are about 1/3 the value of a set.