Articulated Ebony Duck, System Walking cane. France, circa 1890

The well carved ebony wood handle is 6 cm high x 9 cm to the side x 3 cm wide. It depicts a wonderfully detailed duck with a caricaturesque expression, it has yellow glass eyes, ivory tongue and teeth and the tongue is conceived to vibrate continuously, the mechanics work very well. There is a woven collar made with silver thread. It is on top of a slender ebony shaft carved with dots and ending whit a bimetal ferule. The OL is 88 cm and without chips or cracks the condition is perfect.

Moving objects, fascinate children and adults from old times, during the 19th century also found their way into canes, it were a prime source of entertainment, being to catch the attention of a lady or just to entertain children

In Native American myth, the duck acts as a mediator between the sky and the water, and it was one of the creatures that helped renew the earth after the Flood. According to Hebrew tradition, the duck symbolizes immortality, while in China and Japan it represents contentment, marital bliss and fidelity. *Book of symbols.