Shippo Cloisonné Enamel Cane

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Masterpiece Cane Auction

By Kimball Sterling

May 24, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-05-24 11:00:00 2025-05-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Masterpiece Cane Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/kimball-sterling/masterpiece-cane-auction-19479
A European Masterpiece Cane Auction Kimball Sterling kimballsterling@earthlink.net

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• Lot Description
  Ca 1890 A very tall Shippo enamel handle consisting of a flattened ball top and an integral straight stem of a tapering circular section. Blooms, floral, and other Far Eastern elements in well-matched, crisp colors decorate the entire surface. These come on a dark, almost black background with plenty of tiny and gilt repeating spiraling elements suggestive of clouds. There is so much to see that it is difficult to enumerate these individually. Notable is an excessively fine and gilt cloisonné wire, rarely encountered in such precise minute detail. The handle, so far unseen in such length, is perfection in every way. It is a vertical fusion of fine workmanship, exquisite taste, and the old traditional love of detail that characterizes Far Eastern craftsmanship. Fitted with a high-grade, smoothly stepped partridge shaft and a metal ferrule, it clearly held a special place in many collector hearts, enduring time with remarkable grace. H. 12” x 1 ¼”, O.L. 38 ½” $600-$900 With the incredible popularity of canes and the growing demand for decorative accessories, walking stick makers in the Western world, both European and American, began importing cane handles and other pieces from the Orient in the second half of the nineteenth century. Japan and China were significant suppliers of outstanding carvings and metals like this cane. Cloisonné is a way of enameling an object (typically made of copper) whereby fine metal wires are used to delineate the decorative areas (cloisons in French, hence cloisonné) into which enamel paste is applied before the object is fired and polished. The Japanese characters used for the word shippo (the Japanese term for enamelware) mean “Seven Treasures,” which refers to the seven treasures mentioned in Buddhist texts. Although these treasures may vary, they generally include at least some of the following: gold, silver, emerald, coral, agate, lapis lazuli, giant clamshell, glass, and pearl. The Japanese applied this expression to the rich colors of Chinese enamel wares and later to those they made themselves.
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