Nicole Smith
Specialist, Head of Sale
Lot 85
AN ITALIAN ART NOUVEAU ENGRAVED AMBER AND CITRINE INSET 800 STANDARD SILVER-GILT FORTITUDE CANEDesigned and executed by Renato Brozzi, Rome, circa 1910
8 December 2025, 15:00 EST
New YorkUS$2,000 - US$3,000
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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
AN ITALIAN ART NOUVEAU ENGRAVED AMBER AND CITRINE INSET 800 STANDARD SILVER-GILT FORTITUDE CANE
Designed and executed by Renato Brozzi, Rome, circa 1910
The curved L-shaped handle designed with a silver-gilt symmetrical continuous play of ginkgo branches with an inset oval citrine and an engraved amber inset in the terminal over a band with alternating settings of oval citrines and engravings reading FORTITUDO with a Maltese cross, signed R. Brozzi, on a Malacca shaft with a metal ferrule.
height overall 35in (89.8cm); height of handle 3in (7.6cm); width 4 3/4in (12cm)
The curved L-shaped handle designed with a silver-gilt symmetrical continuous play of ginkgo branches with an inset oval citrine and an engraved amber inset in the terminal over a band with alternating settings of oval citrines and engravings reading FORTITUDO with a Maltese cross, signed R. Brozzi, on a Malacca shaft with a metal ferrule.
height overall 35in (89.8cm); height of handle 3in (7.6cm); width 4 3/4in (12cm)
Footnotes
The amber engraved with a scene of Hercules in battle with the Nemean Lion, one of the Twelve Labors through which the hero proved his strength. Ginkgo was often planted near temples and sacred spaces to symbolize resilience and spiritual protection.
Renato Brozzi (Italian, 1885-1963) was a painter, goldsmith, and silversmith from Parma. In 1919, he designed the famous reverse of the Italian 10-cent lira coin, depicting a bee sitting on a poppy.
Provenance
Collection of Eddi Van Auken, California,
Literature
Van Auken, Eddi. Masterpieces: The Eddi Van Auken Collection of Antiques Walking Sticks and Canes. Silvia Editrice, Milan, 2025, pages 401-402, number 314. (illustrated)
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