Steadily growing in popularity starting around the 16th century, canes reached the pinnacle of their popularity amongst the upper classes of society around the late-19th and early-20th centuries. They became more than just an accessory, but rather a symbol of ones status and wealth. The Victorian era saw a resurgence in the popularity of themes from classical mythology and the grip of this cane is a prime example of that. The grip of this specific example is primarily smooth antique ivory with a spherical knob grip portion and a lanyard hole. Attached to the grip, and of the same material, is a masterfully relief carved representation of the "Birth of Venus", showing many similarities to the work of that name by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Venus is depicted partially nude and standing in a graceful, flowing pose, with a shroud partially wrapped around her. The grip is joined to the smooth Malacca shaft with a woven leather band. "BRIGG" is marked on the shaft near the leather band, representing a highly respected London retailer. The shaft is tipped with horn. It measures 38 inches overall. Provenance: The Larry Mattson Collection

Very good, the grip generally showing an attractively aged tone with a few hairline age cracks at the top and a few scattered small, discreet repairs on the figure of Venus along with a few hairline cracks. The shaft is also very good with some scattered minor handling marks.