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AEDNephrite Duck Head Cane
About Seller
125 West Market Street
Johnson City, TN 37604
United States
Family-owned and family-run Johnson City Tennessee auction business for 25 years. Selling antiques and collectables for 38 years. Kimball M. Sterling, Inc. was founded and is owned by Kimball and Victoria Sterling, time and again, they have laid solid claim to world-wide attention and renown with an...Read more
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| $100 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
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About Auction
LiveJan 3, 2026
Masterpiece Cane auction is all from a Europeon collection. We offer items from this private collection about once a year, Kimball Sterling kimballsterling@earthlink.net
View Full Catalog (89)
- Lot Description
Ca. 1900
Large duck head handle wheel carved of a piece of jewelry-grade Nephrite with a pronounced forehead, chubby cheeks, and a broad and flat bill. The plumage is excessively well-defined, smooth, and velvety. At the same time, the polished bill and delicately outlined eyelids further enhance the overall composition, drawing the viewer's gaze toward the mesmerizing pair of colored crystal eyes.
This remarkable figural knob is a testament to the artist's skill in transforming a simple object into a work of art. It comes with a plain silver collar struck with an Austrian silver hallmark besides a “CH” maker’s mark, and a hardly noticeable hand engraving right above the lower edge bears the prestigious name "FRANZ HIESS & SÖHNE WIEN," alluding to the esteemed purveyor of the Imperial capital.
The choice of a stepped malacca shaft showcases a harmonious blend of naturally mottled colors, creating a visually captivating composition. Adding a white-metal ferrule lends a touch of elegance and refinement to this exquisite piece.
The duck head motif was widely favored and consistently depicted in silver, gold, ivory, tortoiseshell, wood, and hard stones. The latter option, being the highest quality and more expensive to manufacture, was exclusively available to affluent and aristocratic customers. This cane possesses all the desirable attributes collectors seek, effectively encapsulating the fundamental elements of superior craftsmanship. Moreover, it has the potential to garner broad recognition as a representative exemplar of cane artistry.
The advent of the Industrial Revolution enabled the use of lapidary arts to produce figural semiprecious hardstone handles and knobs, which were later marketed in prestigious jewelry establishments in major global cities.
One of the most renowned artists, while not the pioneer in employing this particular technique, was Fabergé.
His exhibition of these artifacts in Paris in 1900 prompted renewed interest. They fall today under the general denomination of Objects of Virtue, which roughly translates as precious objects standing for excellence.
H. 2 ¾” x 3”, O.L. 35 ½”
$ 3,500-$4,500
Franz Hiess & Söhne, Vienna, was an Austrian manufacturer of haberdashery, jewelry, and watchmaking. Franz Hiess & Söhne was located in Vienna at the corner of Himmelpfort Gasse 1 and Kärntnerstraße 25. The Kärntnerstraße was, and still is today, the main artery of the inner city.
The residential and commercial building of R. Franz Hiess was built in 1885 to plans by the architect Leopold Theyer (1851-1937) and G. Matthies. The basement, ground floor, and 1st floor were used exclusively for business premises, II. and III. floors and the attic were furnished as apartments. The company's owner was Franz Hiess, later came the sons Eduard Hiess and Rudolph Hiess. In addition to watches, the company also sold cigarette cases, belt buckles, screens, meerschaum cigar holders, meerschaum pipes, umbrellas, walking sticks, and tailstocks. In 1893, the company was represented at the World's Fair in Chicago.
“Franz Hiess & Söhne Wien” was granted the highly desirable warrant “Purveyor to the Court,” which was given to a business to recognize them as someone who provides goods or services to the Royal Household and allowed to display the Imperial coat of arms and advertise that they have Royal Customers. At the end of the Second World War, the Kärntner Straße was heavily bombed.
The damage to the Hotel Meissl & Schadn and the business of Franz Hiess & Söhne was so extensive that these buildings had to be pulled down immediately after the war.
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