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ANTIQUE #SA996025

French Revolutionary Period Walking Cane Telescope By Jecker Of Paris

Status: This item has been sold
Sold by: Jason Clarke Antiques

For sale, a rare French Revolutionary period walking cane with integral telescope by Francois-Antoine Jecker of Paris.
 
This fascinating instrument is comprised of a two-part, ribbed and tapered metal body painted in simulation of bamboo. It has two false brass eyelets at the upper end to simulate the hole in which the wrist cord would ordinarily have been fitted, a brass pommel and original pointed ferrule at the base which is painted in keeping with the body. The brass pommel is beautifully engraved with a coat of arms consisting of a knight’s helm and gorget with mounted cross and wings above.
 
Note: I have commissioned research with The College of Arms in an attempt to identify the family, but the search was unsuccessful. It is therefore assumed that the coat of arms is French. Unfortunately, with no centrally held records for the arms of the French nobility, the owner remains unidentified at this time.
 
The telescope is accessed by unscrewing the cane at a join two thirds down the shaft. This reveals a single draw, German silver eyetube with the maker’s name, “Jecker A Paris” engraved to the end. The inch diameter objective lens is further revealed by unscrewing the brass pommel cap from the opposite end.
 
The telescope measures 55cms when closed and 67cms when fully extended. The full cane measures 94cms.
 
The Paris instrument maker, Francois-Antione Jecker was born in Hirtzfelden on the French-Swiss border in 1765 to a farming family. His mechanical abilities were said to have been evident from a young age and at nineteen, he was apprenticed to an instrument maker in the larger regional town of Besancon. He remained for just one year before it became evident that his technical abilities were greater than his master’s.
 
Jecker travelled to England in 1786 to further his education owing to the quality and reputation of the London instrument makers of the period, and he wasted little time by introducing himself immediately to the most renowned of the...
Antique #SA996025, shown on this page, originates from 1800. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was made:
1800
Famous inventions historic timeline graphic to help to give historical context to the date of this antique.
CONTACT DETAILS OF SELLER:
JASON CLARKE ANTIQUES PROFILE PHOTO WHICH LINKS TO DEALER PAGE
Jason Clarke Antiques
Berkshire
United Kingdom
STATUS
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD
HISTORIC TIMELINE OPTIONS

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