AN UNUSUAL GROUP OF SIX MINIATURE WALKING STICKS

probably German, circa 1880-90



comprising three ivory examples with plain tapering shafts, the handle of one carved as a death's head with ruffled collar, another as a mermaid, and the third as a head of Mephistopheles, all signed in monogram Eo3; two others with silvered wire collars, one a simulated narwhal tusk rising to a carved ivory ram's head, the other with plain shaft rising to a carved dark horn blackamoor head with carved ivory turban; the sixth of boxwood with horn collar, the shaft carved as an intricate spiral, the handle as a bulldog's head

Excellent condition and exceptionally well carved. The boxwood example with losses to spiralling at lower end (see catalogue photo).
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The selection of walking stick handles here includes a head of Mephistopheles, a character that would have been immediately recognizable to anyone in the 19^th Century with even a modest education. Goethe's dramatic poem play, Faust (published between 1808 and 1832), in which the hero of the tale is drawn to his doom by Mephistopheles, was the inspiration for many later writers in the field of literature and the theatre. Charles Gounod's opera Faust, first produced in Paris in 1859, was perhaps the most successful of the genre, followed closely by the English actor, Henry Irving's thrilling performances as Mephistopheles in a revival of W.G. Wills's adaptation of Goethe's tragedy, opening at the Lyceum Theatre, London, on 19 December 1885. Of course, the story of Faust was too serious and terrible not to be spoofed and a number of such stage productions tried the imaginations of several Victorian playwrights as much as they amused their audiences. One such was G.R. Sims and Henry Pettitt's Faust up to Date, a burlesque produced at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in 1888. In 1921, however, long after the Faust legend had become hackneyed and wearisome, the Gaiety management opened an ill-advised revival. Entitled Faust on Toast it opened and closed within a few days.