Folk Art Walking Stick, Wrought Iron Cane, Coiled Serpent

Unidentified... possibly African American

An outstanding hand wrought folk art walking stick... the cane with concave dimple on top of grip tapers to the flaring ferrule also with dimple. The cane featuring a coiled serpent was wrought by a master blacksmith displaying great talent. Snakes are powerful creatures in belief and lore... the imagery presents itself in stories and art, canes, toys, sculptures and more. For most of us, a coiled snake is a sign of ill fate. In Africa and for its people dispersed from their homeland, iron is a revered material that can activate spiritual power, the blacksmith, a master of transformation and supernatural power may have created this stick. It is unknown if the artist/creator of this snake-cane was African American however blacksmithing was a prominent trade skill for Black makers in the United States, both before Emancipation and after, the symbolism embodied in both the material and the composition suggests this as a possibility. The cane was purportedly found in Virginia.

Date: Likely 1870 - 1925

Measurement: Length: 35.25"

Material: Wrought iron, traces of old black paint

Condition: Fine, scatted trivial light surface rust

$1,575

SKU: 859-59

For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.

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