Ca. 1920
Yellow gold rolled crook handle molded in a well-proportioned shape and in a classy, plain paneled, hexagonal profile. It draws attention with a rich color as well as regularity of surface, line, and volume. A nose set at an angle and engraved with a French Nobility “Vicomte”, Viscount Crown brings an additional singularizing note.
The handle is struck on its slim ring collar with “DEPOSÉ” and “REGISTERED” and a few other obscured and unidentifiable hallmarks. It comes on an extremely rare, one out of one million, flowered makassar ebony shaft and a metal ferrule.
Modernism turned into fashion and a statement of innovation and technological progress, this cane casts aside the dictates of the past and is a celebration of Art Deco masterwork. Its simple yet highly sophisticated profile speaks for a costly bespoke commission by a French, talented goldsmith. Simultaneously, it is representative of a period where the perfect gentleman would only wear customized accessories.
H. 4” x 4 ¼”, O.L. 36”
$500-$800
When we talk about the definition of Art Deco, we usually say that it was certainly one of the most influential decorative styles in the first half of the twentieth century.
It first appeared in France in the 1920s, taking its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. After its debut in Paris, Art Deco style was quickly accepted around the world, drawing from different sources and affecting various disciplines, from visual and decorative arts to fashion, architecture, filmography, and product design.
Although it was the most popular movement in the period between the two World Wars, it wasn’t recognized as a movement in its own right until the 1960s, and some art historians even today argue whether the Art Deco movement existed as such and if it should be identified as a distinct style. Luxurious and splendid in their appearance, Art Deco paintings and designs marked the period of newly found optimism after the war and great depression. Although it drew its inspiration from past art movements, one of the main features of the Art Deco style was its orientation towards the future and celebration of modern ideas of progress.