: - An elegant and early English cane dated 1669 became the
highlight of the day at Tradewinds Antiques' recent cane auction
when it sold for $11,760, a world record price paid at auction
for an English pique cane.
The cane's elephant ivory handle was fancifully decorated in
silver pique forming crosses and scrolls and bore the inscription
"A R 69." The three-quarter-inch silver collar, which was punched
and scalloped, was set atop a honey-toned Malacca shaft ending in
a four-inch incised brass and iron ferrule. The cane had been
consigned by an American collector and after the intense bidding
had subsided, it went to another American collector.
The ingenious and highly varied manifestations of canes have long
been of interest to collectors with the cane market remaining
steady in the face of market volatility in some other arenas.
An unusual and seldom seen example was the circa 1860 Austrian
violin cane that sold to a collector for $11,200, a record price
for the category. Its mahogany tau handle unscrewed to reveal a
fitted mahogany horsehair bow with horn and ivory decoration. The
cane itself opened to reveal a maple soundboard with an ebony
bridge that raised the strings for tuning by means of the
enclosed clock key. The instrument was said to be capable of
producing fine sound and had been recently restored.
Cleopatra cane, $10,640.
Another bidder favorite was a circa 1880 ebony cane with an
elephant ivory handle carved in the form of a recumbent and
voluptuous Cleopatra cuddling a dog as a cat licked her foot. It
sold for $10,640, nicely above the estimated $5/7,000.
Remington dog-head curio canes are of perennial interest in the
marketplace and a circa 1875 example with a Remington gutta
percha hound above the nickel collar brought a hearty and
mid-estimate $9,800. The cane unscrewed to accommodate a
32-caliber cartridge. Another curio cane, a circa 1895 pepperbox
gun example, brought $6,720. The dark horn handle turned to allow
the user to extract a nickel pepperbox pistol from the interior.
It also contained a five-inch stiletto. The cane, possibly
German, was modeled after the patent of French gunsmith N. Simon.
A Swiss music box cane made from a single piece of hardwood,
perhaps birch, beautifully carved with a pug sitting on a music
box just below the handle sold for $6,440. The music box was in
good working order and played an alpine tune.
An ebony cane with a steel crook decorated in elaborate gold
damascene with images of dragons and flowers and geometric
designs attracted quite a bit of attention and eventually sold
for a world record price at auction for a damascene cane at
$4,368. This example was probably made in England using a handle
imported from Toledo, Spain, circa 1890.
Circa 1885 octopus cane, $3,920.
A nautical cane made from a thick narwhal tusk with a smooth
silver cap, circa 1850, sold for $5,220. According to the catalog
notes the narwhal tusk was treasured throughout history for what
was thought to be its relationship to the unicorn.
An elephant ivory cane carved in the form of a finely detailed
basket of puppies was estimated at $1,2/1,800 and sold for
$3,024.
Bidders liked an unusual English cane with a dark stained
elephant ivory handle carved as a donkey with brown glass eyes. A
button in the silver collar depressed to allow the donkey's ears
to perk upward and his mouth open to reveal a red tongue.
Purportedly made by Briggs of London, the cane boar London
hallmarks for 1896 and sold for $4,200.
Then there was the very charming circa 1880 partridge wood cane
with a walrus ivory handle carved in the form of a French lady of
pleasure. Called a "brothel cane," the piece was inscribed
"Madame Plaisir, Orleans" and sold for $4,480, nicely above the
estimated $2,5/3,500.
All prices quoted reflect the 12 percent premium.
