50. Horn Cat Head Cane
Ca. 1900 Substantial horn handle left in its natural, curving shape and carved on one side with a cat’s head. The frontal rendering is a masterwork of cat portraiture, while a pair of inset glass eyes enhances the feline's personality in a delightful way. The soft and rounded edges of the low-relief carving make the handle very comfortable to wear. At the same time, delicate undercuts lend it some transparency and play against the light to re- veal the magnificent structure and entire magical complexion. That hints at the rarest and most precious of all horns and deserves some attention for the exact identification of the material. The handle comes with a plain silver collar on a high-grade malacca shaft and a brass ferrule. Charm is the trademark of this cane, which has been preserved in its entirety, and the passage of time adds to its magic. It is pretty likely that Louis Wain's drawings, which were well-liked and influential at the time, inspired it. 5 ¾” x 2”, O.L. 36”
$900-$1,200
Louis Wain (1860–1939) was an English artist best known for his drawings of cats. Although he was a household name at the turn of the century, his reputation subse- quently diminished after his death until the late 1960s, when Rodney Dale's Louis Wain: The Man Who Drew Cats was published. Since then, there has been a lot of interest in Wain's art, but not nearly to the extent that it deserves. He was born in 1860 and began drawing cats in his early twenties. By the turn of the
century, his name was a household name, for he had created the Louis Wain Cat, a special type of mischievous feline that found universal acclaim. But he was obsessed with drawing cats, and when demand eventually diminished, he was unable to come to terms with it. He had heavy family commitments, but no one would buy his work. his only means of making a living. His mind failed, and he was admitted to a mental hospital in poverty. After a while, he was discovered there, and some influential people set up a fund to enable him to spend the rest of his days in comfort. He died in 1939. Being largely nocturnal, the cat is associated with the moon; it is also credited with supernatural powers, both good and evil. Louis Wain was the artist who changed how we think about cats.
104 - Continental Cane Collection Auction
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