The 19th century saw canes and walking sticks reach the peak of their popularity, making them an incredibly popular gift among the affluent for almost any occasion. This example has a gold band just below the grip inscribed in French, "a mon cher Fils." or "to my dear Son." indicating that this piece was a gift from a parent to a son. The grip is carved in the form of two hands clasping, the upper had appearing to be clad in women's clothing at the wrist, while the lower hand is slightly smaller, indicating that this was likely a gift from a mother to a son. There is floral carving both at the top and a bottom of the wrists. The previously mentioned gold band joins the grip to a slender malacca shaft that is tipped with iron. Due to the slender nature of this stick, it was likely either intended for a very young man or to be used as a riding crop/stick. It measures 33 1/2 inches overall. Provenance: C. Dike Collection; Patrick Gutknecht, Geneva; The Larry Mattson Collection