29. Gold Dress Cane
Ca. 1790 Traditional and well-proportioned yellow gold knob of a mid-size, tapering, and domed design, densely hand chased with scrolls, blooms, and foliates. Furthermore, and faithful to the spirit of its day, it is personalized with the engraved initials of its first owner on the top. The knob's stacked design and chasing suggest it was a custom, one-of-a-kind piece. At the same time, its profile and the style of the Gothic initials point to an American, Anglo-Saxon provenance from the late 18th century. A magnifying glass shows the detail to great advan- tage, revealing a tiny, obscured hallmark struck on the bottom edge of the collar. It is tentatively identified as the compulsory French Owl hallmark, indicating import into France from a non-treaty country meeting the minimum standard of 750 precious metal titles. Fortunately, it comes with its initial dark and smooth aged malacca shaft, two matched yet individually chased yellow gold eyelets, and a silver ferrule. This cane shows signs of long and careful use, enjoys the merits of total integrity, and boasts that feel of age that never goes amiss. Indeed, it is praised for a superb faded surface, coupled with a vivid yellow knob, which creates a striking contrast with the dark, uniformly aged patina on the shaft. It commemorates Anglo-Saxon abilities and aes- thetics from a time when canes were a rare luxury item reserved for a select few and provides evi- dence of their opulent lifestyle. It also shows that early works always appeal to collectors and that canes were collectibles even a century ago. H. 1 ¼” x 1 ¼”, O.L. 36 ¼”
$900 -$1,500
For historians, hallmarks provide an additional source of information to accurately date a jewelry object and determine who made it. The most commonly encoun- tered hallmark on jewelry is undoubtedly the “purity” mark, which indicates the total amount of gold or silver used to manufacture a coveted jewel. Although the study of hallmarks serves as an excellent research avocation to many involved in the antique trade, a trained professional can and should place a desired object in the proper time frame without the presence of such marks.
62 - Continental Cane Collection Auction
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