Hi, I'm looking for a very particular kind of basket to buy online,
through a catalog or the phone.  The best I could describe the
particular item I'm looking for is a large Middle Eastern or Moroccan
style rattan (wicker) basket.  Idealy it would be a dark brown color,
be close to or larger than the size of a laundry hamper, be
cylindrical (tapered at the bottom if possible), have a non-hinged lid
on top, and be finely woven.  For a better reference, the particular
basket I'm looking for is exactly like the kind used as props in a
well-known scene of an Indiana Jones movie.  In Raiders Of The Lost
Ark, there's a scene where Indiana Jones and Marian are being chased
through a marketplace or bazaar.  Marian hides in a large basket that
is eventualy carried away by her pursuers.  This is exactly the kind
of basket I'm looking for in every way.

Here are some pictures that should help you get an idea of what I am
and am not looking for:


http://www.babyage.com/product_details.aspx?ProductID=9403&ControlID=2#
This basket isn't woven finely enough, isn't dark enough in color, and
isn't tapered at the bottom.  It is cylindrical and has the exact kind
of lid I want.


http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product.asp?product_id=05-0244
Much like the first basket, this one isn't woven finely enough, isn't
dark enough, and isn't tapered on the bottom.


http://store2.yimg.com/I/danieljamesco_1785_11689124
These baskets are very close to what I'm looking for.  They aren't
tall enough however.  The color is nearly dark enough, they are finely
woven, they have non-hinged lids, they are tapered on the bottom and
are cylindrical in shape.  A very near match.


http://redstars.en.ec21.com/GC00022626/CA00022628/Rattan_tea-pot_holder.html
Except for being too small, this basket is exactly  what I'm looking for.

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Request for Question Clarification by digsalot-ga on 24 Aug 2004 11:46 PDT

I'm looking to see what I can find for you. 

The only reason I was at the studio is that I have been in most of the
Mideast (archaeologist) and was contracted as a consultant on set
designs based on the ancient world.

LOL, I got suckered into that one because I was working on National
Easter Seal Telethons out of the Los Angeles Orange County chapter and
got to know a few people at the studio.

Archaeological technicians seldom get rich, let alone make 'ends
meet.' So most of us have to do other things as well.

Digs

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Request for Question Clarification by digsalot-ga on 25 Aug 2004 17:52 PDT

Still looking.  I don't really recall seeing any baskets that large
when I was in that part of the world.  At least not that were both
rigid and tapered.

There were large baskets around but they were quite flexible and were
used as carriers much in the way as a "saddle bag."  They tapered
almost to a point and could not be stood up on their own.

Not giving up yet.

Digs

Just a thought. - Since the basket was used as a prop in a film, there
is a strong chance the basket was made specifically for that purpose
and has no precise counterpart in the 'outside' world.  Studio props
have to work exactly the right way, take after repeated take, even
something as simple as a basket.

Because of that, if a studio can 'create' an item, rather than buying
it on the open market, they usually do.

I spent a brief time working in the properties department of Paramount
Pictures.  There are many items the public wishes to locate for
purchase - but they exist no place outside of the studio warehouses
and the imaginations of the designers.

Digs

Digs,

Thanks a lot for your comment.  I thought about this possibility, but
what makes me think that they're out there to be had is that the
design is more or less an archetype of Middle Eastern furniture.  I
can remember seeing the style I'm looking for in movies and cartoons
ever since I was a little kid, and thought I've never been to Morocco
I have high hopes.

What a fascinating place to work, a studio where any object you can
dream up is made...