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A DANISH SKØNVIRKE COPPER AND 830 STANDARD SILVER ROBOT CANEDesigned and executed by Carl M. Cohr, Fredericia, 1921 image 1
A DANISH SKØNVIRKE COPPER AND 830 STANDARD SILVER ROBOT CANEDesigned and executed by Carl M. Cohr, Fredericia, 1921 image 2
Lot 8

A DANISH SKØNVIRKE COPPER AND 830 STANDARD SILVER ROBOT CANE
Designed and executed by Carl M. Cohr, Fredericia, 1921

8 December 2025, 15:00 EST
New York

US$3,000 - US$5,000

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A DANISH SKØNVIRKE COPPER AND 830 STANDARD SILVER ROBOT CANE

Designed and executed by Carl M. Cohr, Fredericia, 1921
The handle depicting a robot with copper rivets, inscribed ROBOT / R.U.R. PRAHA, on an ebony shaft with a metal ferrule.
height overall 36in (91.4cm); height of handle 3in (7.6cm); width of handle 4 1/2in (11.4cm)

Footnotes

The cane references the 1921 science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti) by Czech writer Karel Čapek. The play takes place in a factory in the future (circa 2000) that makes artificial workers from synthetic organic matter who have no original thoughts. The robots eventually start a rebellion, which results in the extinction of the human race.

The play is responsible for the introduction of the word 'robot' to the English language and to science fiction as a whole. In Czech, robota means forced labor, rab being derived from the word meaning slave.

Provenance
Il Segno del Tempo, Milan;
Collection of Eddi Van Auken, California, purchased from the above.

Literature
Van Auken, Eddi. Masterpieces: The Eddi Van Auken Collection of Antiques Walking Sticks and Canes. Silvia Editrice, Milan, 2025, pages 40-41, number 14. (illustrated)

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Additional information