Nicole Smith
Specialist, Head of Sale
Lot 37
A FOLK ART CARVED AND STAINED BAMBOO SKULL AND BONES CANEPossibly Japanese, late 19th century
8 December 2025, 15:00 EST
New YorkUS$1,500 - US$2,000
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Codie Lyons
Associate Specialist
Anna Hicks
Head of Department, Private & Iconic Collections, North America
Cassandra D'Cruz
Specialist, Head of Sale
A FOLK ART CARVED AND STAINED BAMBOO SKULL AND BONES CANE
Possibly Japanese, late 19th century
A single piece of bamboo carved to depict a skull, crisscrossed with bones, with a small leather finger strap, lacking a ferrule.
height overall 39in (99cm); height of handle 2 1/4in (5.7cm); width 2 1/4in (5.7cm)
A single piece of bamboo carved to depict a skull, crisscrossed with bones, with a small leather finger strap, lacking a ferrule.
height overall 39in (99cm); height of handle 2 1/4in (5.7cm); width 2 1/4in (5.7cm)
Footnotes
Visual symbols of death are referred to as momento mori. United by common symbols such as skulls, skeletons, hourglasses, extinguished candles, and flowers, these serve to remind the viewer of their impending mortality and the fleetingness of life; as well as the hope that this reminder will encourage a virtuous life.
In Japan, small sculptures called netsuke were used to fasten the sash of a kimono and were commonly carved as skulls and skeletons to symbolize the afterlife. A notable form of Japanese art, Kusôzu, which flourished between the 14th and 19th centuries depicts the process of bodily decomposition. This Japanese cane carved from bamboo is an exquisite piece of momento mori. The strong skull pommel upon a shaft entwined with delicate swirling bones is a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the permanence of death.
Provenance
Il Segno del Tempo, Milan;
Collection of Eddi Van Auken, California, purchased from the above 2009.
Literature
Van Auken, Eddi. Masterpieces: The Eddi Van Auken Collection of Antiques Walking Sticks and Canes. Silvia Editrice, Milan, 2025, pages 144-145, number 107. (illustrated)
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