YOKUTS POLYCHROME PICTORIAL COILED BOWL

finely woven in redbud, sedge and bracken fern root on a grass foundation, with an encircling rattlesnake band surmonted by a frieze of human figures, alternating male and female, holding hands in a dance formation; likely the work of Mrs. Britches. 

Excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For a related basket attributed to Mrs. Britches in the Eugene and Claire Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Museum and a discussion by Graig Bates go to Fenimoremuseum.org: "It is important to consider the unfinished basket hanging on the wall in the historic photograph of Mrs. Chappo, Mrs. Mary Topino and Maw'-mutch. Fine baskets ascribed to Mary Dick Topino (Mrs. Britches) seem to show up with regularity among Indian art dealers; perhaps this style of basket may have been produced by one family, rather than by one woman. It seems reasonable to assume that Cha-dah taught her daughters to weave. Perhaps her daughter, Mary Dick Topino, wove in the same style as her mother and sister, and their work would be difficult to differentiate. In conclusion, it appears that the basket in the Thaw Collection was most likely made by Mary Dick Topino (Mrs. Britches), although it is possible that it could have been made by her mother or sister. Without firmly documented baskets, with dates of collection and maker's names and full collection histories, it is impossible to know for certain. As to a date of manufacture, I would think sometime between 1890 and the maker's death in 1923. Few fancy baskets, showing no signs of native use and of exquisite workmanship, were collected prior to 1890 and the subsequent growth of the basket collecting fad. It would seem unlikely that a basket of this type would have been woven prior to the 1890s, and kept immaculate and unused by its maker."