1088 - Art Nouveau Walking Stick with Silver Handle in Floral Ornamentation and Dark Wood Shaft

Art Nouveau Walking Stick with Silver Handle in Floral Ornamentation and Dark Wood Shaft 925/- silver, hallmarked with crescent and crown, fineness and maker Arthur Möhrle, Schwäbisch Gmünd, with a black, high-gloss lacquered wood shaft and a silver Fritz handle (Derby form) in typical Art Nouveau design. The L-shaped handle is completely covered with a sculptural, flowing leaf and blossom relief, showcasing the organic lines of Art Nouveau – curved stems and opening calyxes envelop the entire shape of the handle. The silver mount sits directly on the dark shaft. In good condition commensurate with age. L. 85 cm. The Fritz handle (also called Derby handle) with its characteristic L-shape is the classic handle form for walking sticks and was the preferred choice for elaborately designed Art Nouveau walking sticks around 1900. Silver stick handles were predominantly crafted in 800 silver (continental silver), more rarely in 925 sterling. They frequently bear fineness and maker's marks on the inside of the collar. Art Nouveau (approx. 1890–1920) shaped the decorative arts with its flowing, nature-inspired forms – calyxes, tendrils, and organic lines, as exhibited by this handle. Such silver-handled walking sticks were status symbols of upper bourgeois society in Wilhelmine Germany and in Belle Époque Europe. On the collector's market, Art Nouveau walking sticks with a silver Fritz handle and sculptural floral decoration fetch prices between 400 and 800 euros and more.