Cane
1720-1740 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Walking sticks or canes, writes Catherine Dike, 'were not intended to be leaned on. They were not physical supports and crutches. On the other hand they were psychological supports. They were an extension of the arm. They gave the owner an elegant air. He could swagger and swing his walking stick to the rhythm of his pace. He could pose and posture with it. He could challenge, defy, flirt and command. In those days one did not carry a walking stick or use a walking stick, one "wore" a walking stick.' (Catherine Dike. Walking Sticks. Princes Risborough, Shire Album 256, 1990, p. 3).
The fashionable gentleman of about 1730 might have had a gold watch with case chased with mythological scenes, and a cane head and a snuff box chased in the same style. Figures scenes and scrollwork of the kind on this cane head are characteristic of London and German gold chasing of the 1720s and 1730s. It is sometimes not straightforward to differentiate London from German work because London attracted notable gold chasers from Augsburg. They worked particularly on cases for London watches which at that date were pre-eminent in Europe. A watchcase chased with the same scene of Venus and Adonis is signed by Henry Manly who worked in London from about the 1720s to the late 1760s. As Heinrich Mannlich, he had been born into a distinguished family of goldsmiths in Augsburg where he was baptised in January 1698.
It is possible that one indication that this cane head was executed in Germany rather than London is that the use of varicoloured gold was rare in London. Some of the foliage and clothing is of a lighter colour gold (possibly a very light green) rather than the rich yellow of most of the gold.
The fashionable gentleman of about 1730 might have had a gold watch with case chased with mythological scenes, and a cane head and a snuff box chased in the same style. Figures scenes and scrollwork of the kind on this cane head are characteristic of London and German gold chasing of the 1720s and 1730s. It is sometimes not straightforward to differentiate London from German work because London attracted notable gold chasers from Augsburg. They worked particularly on cases for London watches which at that date were pre-eminent in Europe. A watchcase chased with the same scene of Venus and Adonis is signed by Henry Manly who worked in London from about the 1720s to the late 1760s. As Heinrich Mannlich, he had been born into a distinguished family of goldsmiths in Augsburg where he was baptised in January 1698.
It is possible that one indication that this cane head was executed in Germany rather than London is that the use of varicoloured gold was rare in London. Some of the foliage and clothing is of a lighter colour gold (possibly a very light green) rather than the rich yellow of most of the gold.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Malacca cane with chased, varicoloured gold head |
Brief description | Malacca cane, gold head, London or Germany, 1720-40. |
Physical description | Malacca cane with varicoloured gold head. The top is chased with a seated figure of Diana with two hounds. Around the sides of the head is chased a scene of Venus, seated, seeking to restrain Adonis from going hunting. A hound is held by a cupid blowing a horn. To the right of the scene is a semi-recumbent river god. Above the scene are three symmetrical festoons of flowers in strapwork and shell frames. Beneath the scene are three symmetrical strapwork and shell ornaments. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
Object history | There is no history for this object prior to its arrival in the Museum as part of the Jones Bequest. The point at which the cane head meets the cane shows some sign of damage and disturbance. It is not known if the cane head was originally mounted on this cane. |
Summary | Walking sticks or canes, writes Catherine Dike, 'were not intended to be leaned on. They were not physical supports and crutches. On the other hand they were psychological supports. They were an extension of the arm. They gave the owner an elegant air. He could swagger and swing his walking stick to the rhythm of his pace. He could pose and posture with it. He could challenge, defy, flirt and command. In those days one did not carry a walking stick or use a walking stick, one "wore" a walking stick.' (Catherine Dike. Walking Sticks. Princes Risborough, Shire Album 256, 1990, p. 3). The fashionable gentleman of about 1730 might have had a gold watch with case chased with mythological scenes, and a cane head and a snuff box chased in the same style. Figures scenes and scrollwork of the kind on this cane head are characteristic of London and German gold chasing of the 1720s and 1730s. It is sometimes not straightforward to differentiate London from German work because London attracted notable gold chasers from Augsburg. They worked particularly on cases for London watches which at that date were pre-eminent in Europe. A watchcase chased with the same scene of Venus and Adonis is signed by Henry Manly who worked in London from about the 1720s to the late 1760s. As Heinrich Mannlich, he had been born into a distinguished family of goldsmiths in Augsburg where he was baptised in January 1698. It is possible that one indication that this cane head was executed in Germany rather than London is that the use of varicoloured gold was rare in London. Some of the foliage and clothing is of a lighter colour gold (possibly a very light green) rather than the rich yellow of most of the gold. |
Bibliographic reference | Catalogue of the Jones Collection Part II.-Ceramics, Ormolu, Goldsmiths' Work, Enamels etc.. London: Board of Education, 1924. |
Collection | |
Accession number | 848-1882 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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