Collectable ivory and ivory mounted walking sticks and canes
Ivory is a hard, white material obtained from the tusks of elephants, walruses, narwhals, and other animals. It has been prized for centuries for its beauty, durability, and rarity, and has been used extensively in decorative arts in Western and Oriental cultures from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
In Western cultures during the 18th to 20th centuries, ivory continued to be a popular material for creating decorative objects. A few examples of ivory objects from Western cultures during this time period include:
• toiletry necessaire: A set of toiletry items made of ivory, late 19th century.
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;ivory chess set: A set of intricately carved ivory chess pieces, created in the 18th century.
• ivory cane: A walking cane with an ivory handle, often carved with intricate designs or figurines.
In Oriental cultures, ivory continued to be used for decorative arts during the 18th to 20th centuries. Just a few examples of ivory objects from Oriental cultures during this time period include:
• Japanese okimono: A small ivory figurine depicting scenes from everyday life in Japan.
• Chinese ivory puzzle ball: A series of carved, nested spheres made of ivory, often featuring intricate carvings and designs.
• Cantonese ivory chess set: A set of intricately carved ivory chess pieces made in the 19th century in Canton, China.
It is important to note that the use of ivory in decorative arts has been controversial due to the impact on elephant populations. Many countries have implemented restrictions on the trade of ivory in order to protect endangered elephant populations. For example, in the United States, it is illegal to import, export, buy, or sell elephant ivory with limited exceptions for antiques and certain musical instruments. The European Union has also banned the trade in ivory within its member states, with exceptions for some antique items. The restrictions on the trade of ivory aim to protect endangered elephant populations and prevent illegal poaching and trafficking of ivory.
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A walking stick was an integral part of every well dressed man's wardrobe in the nineteenth century, and his collection of walking-sticks were probably kept just inside the hall in a stand, sharing space with umbrellas.
Walking-sticks and canes derive from the cudgels and staves carried for defence, evolving into dress accessories topped with silver or ivory, with a ferrule at the point to cut down wear. Many had elaborately carved heads. Sometimes these unscrewed to reveal space for a snuff box or other article. About 200 ancillary accessories are known to have been incorporated into walking
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sticks, the best known being the sword. Sword sticks date back to the sixteenth century, and often the sword just slides out with the stick acting as a sheath. Other sword and knife designs had a spring mechanism and would release on the press of a button or lever.
Other sticks pull apart, revealing a dagger with a handle for the left hand, and a stick with a blade for the right hand. Two steel blades sliding into the shaft from each end probably represent duelling weapons. The poacher's gun was a simple weapon in the shape of a walking stick; more sophisticated was a six-barrelled revolver, exposed by pressure on a trigger-spring that expelled part of the cane, and which had a dagger in the centre of the barrels.
Most extravagant was the machine-gun in a rectangular cane. "The kit", as it was 'known, was a pocket violin; this was developed into a violin fitted into a cane with a two-inch (5cm) diameter. Other canes contained music-boxes, harmonicas, flutes, piccolos, pipes (including opium pipes), vesta boxes, cigarette holders, candles, battery torches (dating from as early as 1882), contraceptives, poison, and a whole tribe of canes known as working companions (scalpels for doctors, small spades for botanists, safety lamps for miners). Among the most curious is the voyeur's cane with a mirror above the ferrule enabling the user to look up women's skirts.
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Canes
From around 1550 to 1930, canes were a dressing accessory without which a lady or gentleman, properly dressed, would never leave the house. However their use went out of fashion after this, leaving the market to collectors.
For a collector, the main interest lies in the handle, which could be made of wood, bamboo, ebony, ivory, tusk, animal horn, or bone. Sometimes they were made out of porcelain, Bakelite, gold, silver, or glass; enameled or cloisonnéd; or sprinkled with precious gemstones. The height of good taste was a gold handle with minmal decoration, as silver handles were despised by
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the wealthier classes. However silver handled canes have survived in large numbers, and exhibit a wide variety of decorative treatment, from the comparatively plain, armorial or regimental style to the more flamboyant excesses of Art Nouveau.
Carved handles can be found depicting grotesque animal or human forms, and are highly prized nowadays. Also keenly sought are multi-purpose canes, with a concealed spirit flask, tobacco pipe or even a tiny fire-arm for personal safety.
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A 19th century ivory cane, with a faceted foliate engraved binchbeck mount to the top, above two holes for a cord strap, metal mount to the tip, (natural age hairlines to the ivory, wear and dents to the pinchbeck mount), 94 cm wide
An impressive whalebone and marine ivory walking stick, the main portion of shaft in whalebone with five smaller sections of marine ivory and ivorine carved in varied patterns with baleen embellishments, the shaft terminating in clenched fist carved from…
A mahogany and ivory walking stick, the mahogany shaft terminating with a silver collar engraved S.S. Wairarapa (referencing the sinking on the reef at Great Barrier Island in 1894 with the loss of 140 lives) and a Japanese ivory handle carved with lions.…
A quality 19th century carved ivory greyhound handled walking stick, glass set eyes, fine detail, the substantial later 9ct. rose gold mount with elaborate scroll engraving (17.7gm.), fitted to an old malacca cane shaft.
An antique Narwhal tusk and silver walking cane, later 19th century, the cane of traditional tapering form and brass capped to the base, a turban style handle in possibly walrus ivory, the sterling silver collar with inscription dated 1883. Length 85 cm
A fine 19th century mariner's walking stick the octagonal marine ivory handle inset with baleen diamonds, carved with a double-cord plait collar and surmounted by a Turk's knot finial, the tapering whalebone shaft carved with a wrythen twist, length 90 cm
A whalebone and ivory walking cane, the shaft of alternating plain and patterned bone sections, terminating in a wide silver collar and spherical ivory handle. Length 88 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
An Anglo-Indian ivory walking stick, late 19th century the six section stick of naturalistic branch form 87 cm long. Property from the Collection of Dame Nellie Melba GBE
Victorian ivory carved tortoiseshell serpent handled walking stick with an ivory nib & a silvered collar. Condition good, minor age related wear. Length 86.5 cm
An ivory 'three friends' wrist rest, 19th century, naturalistically carved in the form of a hollowed section of a pine trunk, the gnarled convex surface with a branch of pine needles, flowering prunus and bamboo canes in high relief extending over the…
A quality 19th century marine ivory and whalebone carved Turk's Knot walking stick, the marine ivory handle carved as a double strand Turk's Knot with three baleen discs connecting the finely carved shaft with notch, ribbed and spiral sections banded with…
Antique bone and ivory walking stick, late 19th century, the bone or panbone shaft spiral carved to the lower section, diamond patterns to the mid section, the upper section faceted and inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, with an ivory…
A semi-precious gem set carved ivory elephant handled walking cane, Indian, late 19th century, the stick ebonised with a gilded plate engraved 'D. Packett Moulden', 92 cm
A whalebone walking stick, the shaft with metal ferrule the marine ivory handle in the form of a Turk's knot. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 88.5 cm
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