32. Rock Crystal and Gold Dress Cane
Ca. 1900 Milord Knob made from a single piece of pure rock crystal, featuring a long, tapering body and a widening, round, slightly raised top. The surface is carefully shaped with a regular, hammered-like, matte pattern, giving the knob a smooth, silky feel with grayish tones. Additionally, the body is decorated with an integrated polished collar of repeating rhombs, framed by two encircling bands that hint at a sprouting Art Deco taste. The knob comes with a plain yellow collar struck with an Austrian gold hallmark for 18 karat, along with an obscured maker mark tentatively identified as an “A Z” for Alois Zimm, who acquired his goldsmith license in 1890 and established his first jewelry and jewelry repair workshop at the Millergasse 21, Vienna VI district. It is mounted on a deep black and closed-pored Gabon ebony shaft and a long horn ferrule. Obviously made by an artisan with a religious fervor for beauty, this cane epitomizes the restrained, “Neat” style of the Viennese lapidary artist, whose simplicity belies the exceptional quality of materials, workmanship, and construction. Despite its excessive fragility and its age of over a century, the cane retained its full powers of seduction and survived intact. Sophistication and refinement are trademarks here. H. 2 ½” x 1 ¼”, O.L. 36 ½”
$1,000 -$1,500
Rock crystal was rare, difficult to cut, and very precious. It was admired for its translucence and purity, and objects made of it had a special place in the Kunstkammer tradition. One of the ongoing fascinations of water-white quartz crystal is its ability to stay very cold to the touch. Even the most down-to-earth observers will sometimes admit that rock crystal seems to draw something out of them, while others have reported feeling an afterburn if the stone is pressed against the skin. These unusual traits may explain the aura of such crystals, but whatever the exact source of their magic, they are often polished into various shapes. This might be to aid in the practice of crystallomancy, or to highlight the natural beauty of the stone, its mysterious properties, and its inclusions. There is very little literature to endorse these proposals, but belief in the magic of crystals is very enduring.
Continental Cane Collection Auction - 69
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