This is an immensely rare circa 19th Century Yokut Wukchumni Friendship Dancer Polychrome three-color very large woven coiled storage basket attributed to Mary Dick Topino “Mrs. Britches” from the ex-collection of Sundog and Bruce VanLandingham. This basket is attributed to Mary Dick Topino (1863 or 1868-1923), known as “Mrs. Britches”. This masterpiece of California basketry shows a very large size in rare, three-color polychrome form showing a weaving of devil's claw and firebrush and possibly yucca nipis . The basket is finely woven in the scarce Yurok Tulare Friendship pattern with Rattlesnake diamond patterns. The dancers show alternating fiber color with bands of encircling the tight small coil fine basket. This is quite possibly the finest Yurok Tulare baskets ever offered for public sale. Provenance: From the renowned Sundog Fine Art Bozeman, Montana collection and acquired by Bruce VanLandingham. Bruce VanLandingham was a pillar in the American Indian collecting community and a respected expert. Along with being an avid collector Bruce also was the sole owner of Sundog Fine Art Gallery in Bozeman which was both part museum and gallery. This basket is nearly identical in design and manufacture as the Yokut Mary Dick Topino basket offered by Sotheby’s Auction for $30,000-$50,000. These baskets are known as “Friendship Basket, centering upon a depiction of looping human figures that are joining hands in an elaborate composition of two rows of alternating male and feamil figures, fourty-four in total, encircling the basket in concentric rings bordered with bands and a rattlesnake diamond addition. “Mrs. Britches” was so called after the nickname “Big Britches” given to her third husband, Jim Topino, who was known for wearing secondhand clothing, including too-large trousers. She was the daughter of Chief Chappo and Lizzy (Chah-Dah) Chappo, also a weaver, of the Wukchumni Yokuts; Mary’s daughter Aida Icho (or Wahnomkot, 1878-1964) carried on the family tradition and became a master comparable in skill to her mother, working in classic Yokuts designs (Sotheby’s). The bottom of the basket has an old tag or tape which is fountain pen written in ink, "107 Tulare AREO Basket men + woman & diamond shape designs Dancers." Measures overall 18.5” diameter and approx. 7.75”H.