58. Theater Dress Cane
Ca. 1900 At first glance, this cane exemplifies restraint, featuring a faceted rock crystal orb mounted on a gilt, grooved collar that rests atop a 4¼-inch snake wood stem. But like the finest illusions on a dimly lit stage, its seeming simplicity hides intricate elegance. The craftsman- ship is quietly masterful: the joint between knob and shaft is seamlessly concealed beneath the golden collar, dissolving any boundary between materials and transforming function into poetry and a spark of light. The crystal itself is pure, natural, and luminous, cut with subtle facets that catch and scatter light with theatrical finesse. In motion, it glimmers like a spotlight refracted through a prism, casting brief sparks and glints as if drawn from the footlights of a grand, bygone theater. It feels less like an object held in the hand and more like a prop from a dream, one that carries the silence between acts, the hush of velvet curtains, and the shimmer of imagined worlds. The shaft, crafted from richly colored rosewood with a matching gilt collar and finished with a smooth horn ferrule, grounds the piece in warmth and depth. Its romantic aura is heightened by the natural beauty of the materials and the elegant proportions, whispering of old-world refinement and private opulence. Still in excellent original condition, this cane is not merely an accessory; it is a moment of quiet stagecraft, frozen in time. A prop for the hand, a poem for the eye, and a relic of a more theatrical age. 1 ¼” x 1 ¼”, O.L. 34”
$500-$600
Rock crystal was once thought to be ice so ancient and pure that it had frozen beyond time, transformed into eternal stone. This belief persisted until 1676, when a scholar noted that such crystals frequently formed in the heat of the tropics. A natural form of crystalline quartz, rock crystal is prized for its colorless, transparent beauty. In the Renaissance, it was carved with exquisite care, revered almost as a substance that bridged the gap between earth and spirit. By the 19th and 20th centuries, it adorned cameos, seals, and elegant cane handles, and was polished or faceted for fine jewelry.
120 - Continental Cane Collection Auction
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