Russia Circa 1900 ( Caucasian Work) : Cane With Silver Knob, Niello Decoration

Elegant Russian cane, composed of a silver pommel decorated with foliage, and a shaft of Macassar ebony. The art of nielloing dates back to the Middle Ages, Russia is one of its cradles. The use of this ancestral technique consists of filling reserves prepared for this purpose with a dark alloy, contrasting with the polishing with the shine of the silver. Here, foliage scrolls borrowed from medieval decorations, illustrate the movement which is fashionable in intellectual circles. At the base of the pommel, in the same material, is inscribed in Cyrillic Caucasia , the place where it has be done . Thanks for my friend , who told it to me.
Three punches are indicted below. The iron of the tip is very neat. The Macassar ebony plays with its fiery reflections with the shine of the pommel. The whole is extremely refined, emblematic of the Russian aristocracy at the turn of the century, combining an interest in Western social codes and the autonomy of a secular aesthetic.