Precedents for the sugar basket are found in imported English and Irish Neoclassical silver and Sheffield plate. In the United States the sugar basket was never produced in great quantity, although it was less expensive than a covered bowl. Presumably, a sealed vessel was preferred since it protected the contents from humidity and insects.

Technical notes: The foot, basket rim, and hinged handle are die-rolled. The foot is soldered to the hammered stem.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.