Relief Carved with Figures, Animals and Symbolic Imagery
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A remarkable American folk art cane fashioned from a naturally crooked root, its irregular, serpentine form almost completely populated with an extraordinary repertoire of approximately forty-five individually relief-carved devices. The imagery includes human faces, cats, and full-length figures, birds, fish, turtles, horse and rider, architectural forms and numerous geometric and symbolic motifs, including an eagle positioned with the American flag…and imagery suggestive of Masonic affiliation.
Rather than being simply incised, many of the subjects are carved substantially in relief, their surrounding grounds cut away to give the figures considerable dimension. Particularly appealing are the repeated turtles, fish, birds and wonderfully direct human faces, all executed in an individual and unmistakably vernacular hand. The natural bends, knots and convolutions of the root were incorporated into the composition, with imagery appearing continuously as the cane is turned.
The beautifully preserved undisturbed original surface, mellowed through age and handling to a deep amber-brown patina, greatly enhances both the carving and sculptural character of this unusually ambitious example of a nineteenth-century American folk art cane.
Origin: American
Item Date: Circa 1875 - 1900
Measurement: 41.5”
Material: Hardwood root, carved; undisturbed original surface
Item Condition: Excellent; retaining a rich, undisturbed surface and extensive evidence of handling and use.
Price: $6,250
SKU 859-112
For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.