What is a 19th-century dress cane?

During the 19th century, decorative dress canes served primarily as fashion accessories and indicators of social status rather than functional mobility aids. Elite examples featured handles carved from semi-precious stones, precious metals, or organic materials paired with refined timber shafts.

What materials were traditionally used in high-end antique walking sticks?

Luxury walking sticks from this era commonly featured handles of carved lapis lazuli, agate, quartz, or porcelain, joined with gold or silver collars. The shafts were typically constructed from durable, lightweight woods such as malacca, bamboo, partridge wood, or ebony.

How do you identify authentic 19th-century French walking sticks?

Authentic period canes often feature maker stamps or workshop names impressed into the wood or collar, alongside precious metal hallmarks. Genuine lapis lazuli handles display natural mineral variations and gold pyrite specks rather than uniform synthetic colouration.

How can an antique walking cane be styled in a modern interior?

Decorative walking canes can be displayed upright inside a vintage brass or ceramic umbrella stand near an entryway. Alternatively, they can be laid horizontally across a library shelf or mounted on wall brackets to create a focal point among curated historical objects.

How should antique lapis lazuli and gold canes be maintained?

Clean gemstone and gold components with a dry, soft microfibre cloth, avoiding chemical solvents that could alter the stone or finish. Keep the timber shaft in a climate-controlled room away from direct radiators or damp conditions to prevent cracking or warping.

for sale €2,048 $2,223

£1,750

Regent Antiques

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Id #SA1244960

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Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Name: Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1244960
Price: 1750 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a superb French lapis lazuli and rose and white gold-mounted walking cane stamped Verdier, dating from Circa 1880.

This decorative walking cane features a tapering fluted lapis lazuli handle above an interlaced rose and white gold band on a tapering Malacca shaft.

The gold has tested as 14k. A truly beautiful piece that would make a fine addition to any antique collection.

Condition:

In excellent condition with only minor signs of use commensurate with age, as seen in the accompanying photographs, the stick displays beautifully.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 94 cm x Width 3 cm x Depth 3 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 37 inches x Width 1 inch x Depth 1 inch

Verdier

Luxury French craftsmanship of walking Canes & canes badines: 19th-century French luxury walking sticks and canes (such as those mounted in lapis lazuli, rose and white gold, or featuring gold pommels) were frequently retailed or stamped by Verdier.

Lapis lazuli, or lapis for short, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BCE, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan. Lapis was highly valued by the Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1900 BC). Lapis beads have been found at Neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania. It was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BCE).

At the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. It was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian, and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary.

Lapis takes an excellent polish and can be made into jewelry, carvings, boxes, mosaics, ornaments, small statues, and vases. During the Renaissance, Lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for use in frescoes and oil paintings. Its usage as a pigment in oil paint largely ended in the early 19th century when a chemically identical synthetic variety became available.

Malacca wood

Rare and exotic, also known as "King of canes," was the most commonly used material in making the cane shafts where the standard grip was rounded and metallic. Today, designer and collector canes have sterling silver handles, and are made with wooden shafts made from various woods, including Malacca and bamboo.

Ornate designs, such as animal heads, skulls, and various emblems, may also be carved into the wooden handles; these may make them harder to wield, but some find them more attractive.

Malacca is one species of rattan found on the coast of Sumatra. Rattan palms have long, slender stems, and are perfect for fashioning walking sticks. The stem is not round, but has a ridge or spine, often called a "teardrop," running along its length. It is very lightweight, yet strong, with no two specimens being alike. The stem is made up of links with joints or nodes at both ends, like bamboo. The bark is strong, with what appears to be a satiny, natural gloss or surface glaze. Color varies from brown to blond or reddish amber.

Size of cane that you need

Convert your height into inches. For example, if you are 5' 10" in your shoes, your height is 70 inches. Divide by two and then add ½ inch to determine your approximate cane size. In our example, if you are 70 inches tall (5' 10"), your approximate cane size would be 35" plus ½"= 35.5 inches.

Our reference: A5457

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this French Lapis Lazuli Walking Cane to the 1880s.

Independent Date Check ID 09714720

Dealer's Item Date1880s

Sellingantiques Date1880s

Sellingantiques agingItem 120-155 years old

Test ResultsPassed dating check

Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1880s:

Stamped maker's mark VERDIER: renowned Parisian cane maker.

Hand-fluted lapis lazuli pommel: high-grade lapidary work.

Plaited wire knot collar in two-colour metal: complex fine jeweller's fabrication.

Gentle surface mellowing across the malacca cane: long and careful use.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions

Height

94cm (37.01")

Width

3cm (1.18")

Depth

3cm (1.18")

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1244960

Dealers Internal Reference

A5457

Description

This is a superb French lapis lazuli and rose and white gold-mounted walking cane stamped Verdier, dating from Circa 1880.

“

This decorative walking cane features a tapering fluted lapis lazuli handle above an interlaced rose and white gold band on a tapering Malacca shaft.

Regent Antiques

fig 1. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 1. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

The gold has tested as 14k. A truly beautiful piece that would make a fine addition to any antique collection.

Condition:

In excellent condition with only minor signs of use commensurate with age, as seen in the accompanying photographs, the stick displays beautifully.

fig 2. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 2. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Dimensions in cm:

Height 94 cm x Width 3 cm x Depth 3 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 37 inches x Width 1 inch x Depth 1 inch

Verdier

Luxury French craftsmanship of walking Canes & canes badines: 19th-century French luxury walking sticks and canes (such as those mounted in lapis lazuli, rose and white gold, or featuring gold pommels) were frequently retailed or stamped by Verdier.

fig 3. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 3. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Lapis lazuli, or lapis for short, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BCE, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan. Lapis was highly valued by the Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1900 BC). Lapis beads have been found at Neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania. It was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BCE).

fig 4. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 4. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

At the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. It was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian, and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary.

fig 5. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 5. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Lapis takes an excellent polish and can be made into jewelry, carvings, boxes, mosaics, ornaments, small statues, and vases. During the Renaissance, Lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for use in frescoes and oil paintings. Its usage as a pigment in oil paint largely ended in the early 19th century when a chemically identical synthetic variety became available.

fig 6. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 6. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Malacca wood

Rare and exotic, also known as "King of canes," was the most commonly used material in making the cane shafts where the standard grip was rounded and metallic. Today, designer and collector canes have sterling silver handles, and are made with wooden shafts made from various woods, including Malacca and bamboo.

fig 7. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 7. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Ornate designs, such as animal heads, skulls, and various emblems, may also be carved into the wooden handles; these may make them harder to wield, but some find them more attractive.

Malacca is one species of rattan found on the coast of Sumatra. Rattan palms have long, slender stems, and are perfect for fashioning walking sticks. The stem is not round, but has a ridge or spine, often called a "teardrop," running along its length. It is very lightweight, yet strong, with no two specimens being alike. The stem is made up of links with joints or nodes at both ends, like bamboo. The bark is strong, with what appears to be a satiny, natural gloss or surface glaze. Color varies from brown to blond or reddish amber.

fig 8. A 19th-century French walking stick featuring a carved blue fluted lapis lazuli handle, a gold ferrule with a braided metal band, and a light wood shaft stamped with the maker name Verdier. — fig 8. Antique French Lapis Lazuli & Gold Walking Stick by Verdier 94cm/ 37inch 19th C

Size of cane that you need

Convert your height into inches. For example, if you are 5' 10" in your shoes, your height is 70 inches. Divide by two and then add ½ inch to determine your approximate cane size. In our example, if you are 70 inches tall (5' 10"), your approximate cane size would be 35" plus ½"= 35.5 inches.

Our reference: A5457