American Folk Art Cane, ca. 1900
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GUEST:
I brought this hand-carved cane. It looks like it's out of one piece of wood. It's something I picked up from my uncle's estate. He got it from Indiana. I believe it was probably made in Kentucky, but that's all I know.
APPRAISER:
And when did he buy it?
GUEST:
He bought it probably about 30 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, and do you know what he paid?
GUEST:
He paid $100 for it.
APPRAISER:
He did. And how did you acquire it?
GUEST:
I acquired it from the estate, which I gave about $200 for.
APPRAISER:
So he paid $100 and you paid $200.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
So we have this cane, and it depicts a hunter's cane. And I'm going to point over here to this wonderful hound that's reclined on the top of the cane. And it's basically being used as a handle for the cane. And as we go down the cane, we see a shotgun. And we see on this side, the body of a snake winding around the cane. And we put it over here, we get to see the head of the snake. Which we see a lot in folk art canes because it's a biblical reference to the Garden of Eden. And I think this is a hickory sapling that he carved down, and then painted the elements black. And you can see this patina that has set up because the paint has dried up, so we have this craquelure. It's really very elegant. And it's kind of ironic because it's a hunter scene, and it's not a big, heavy piece of wood. It's a very elegant piece of wood. And that you would get that out of a hickory sapling. It could be a Midwestern cane. I've seen hickory from Pennsylvania, I've seen it from Indiana. I've seen it from various parts of the Midwest. So to definitely say it's from a particular state would be incorrect. Dating it is sometimes a little bit tricky, but I'm going to date it about 1890 to about 1920. Right in that window of time. And I don't recognize this as a body of work. I've been at this a long time, I do not recognize the hand. So in folk art, we say it's "one and done." My thinking, because it's so elegant, the cane lovers, the folk-art lovers are going to love this cane. And today, I would put a retail value on it, approximately $3,500.
GUEST:
Phew...
APPRAISER:
Possibly a little more.
GUEST:
That's more than what I figured. (chuckles)
Appraisal Details
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