Antique French Silver Ebonized Walking Cane

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This is a beautiful antique French Art Nouveau silver L-shaped handle walking stick with Continental hallmarks, late 19th Century in … Read more This is a beautiful antique French Art Nouveau silver L-shaped handle walking stick with Continental hallmarks, late 19th Century in date. The striking stick features an ornate silver niello decorated handle featuring profusely embossed folate deign in the Art Nouveau style on a gentle tapering ebonized shaft. Niello is a mixture of several materials to create a black substance that is used in inscriptions and paintings dating back to the Middle Ages. The mixture traditionally contains copper, lead, silver, and sulphur and was most commonly used on silver for inlay in the etched metal. It was also used in gold and some other precious metals. It is heated to be soft and then applied to inlay where it can cool and create a black colour that stands out as lettering, artwork, or other ornamentation within precious metals. It was used in rings, pendants, diptychs, and other works of art throughout the Middle Ages and the renaissance, with the technology dating back to the Bronze age. Examples of Niello can be seen in work dating back to 1800 BC in Syria. Add an extravagant element to your daily life with this wonderful walking cane. Condition: In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 91 cm x Width 12 cm x Depth 3 cm See less