During the 19th and 20th centuries, canes became incredibly popular as a status symbol, especially among the upper class in Western Europe and North America. This specific cane is a fantastic example of that, having been beautifully relief carved and realistically painted in the form of a lions head, perfect for a gentleman who may have hunted in Africa. On top of that, the lions head is mechanical, with the push of a button making the lion stick out its tongue and the color of its eyes change from brown to blue. The grip is joined to the shaft with a sterling silver band with a lightly hammered texture and the shaft appears to be of ebony with an applied black lacquer finish and is tipped with dark horn. It measures 38 3/4 inches overall.

Fine, the grip retaining much of the original paint with some scattered mild flaking and wear, and a visible seam on top of the head for the access panel to the mechanics. The silver band shows a mostly bright attractive antique patina and the shaft retains most of the ebonized finish with a few light handling marks and small patches of flaking.