RARE Incredible Cane from the Revolutionary Artistic Movement of the 18th Century

  

Rare Directoire-style cane from the late 18th century, belonging to an incredible dandy. This model features a remarkable red and black patina, adorned with a cowhide horn as a handle. It measures 81 cm in height, with a handle of 15 cm. Canes were still considered part of the costume at the time. However, this time they were "hideous sticks that the upper class people would twirl in the air while walking.

" Made of simple, knotty, and rough wood or spirally turned, sometimes equipped with a handle in the shape of a character's head, as seen during the Revolution, they aroused curiosity and distinguished their owners. In reaction to the Terror during the French Revolution, young men and women launched an extravagant and completely outlandish fashion: they were nicknamed the "Incredibles" and the "Marvelous!" While as early as 1795, the French sang the revolutionary song "The Awakening of the People," protesting against the excesses of the terrible period that was the Terror, a certain golden youth sought lightness and pleasure. Mainly composed of royalists, they launched a new fashion that became a rage.

Men wore braids to expose their necks, imitating those condemned to the guillotine, and no longer pronounced certain letters like "r" that reminded them too much of the Revolution. They sported large earrings, enormous cravats, and pointed shoes for a most surprising look! Women symbolized the horror of the guillotine by wearing a red cord around their necks, dressed in diaphanous Greek-style tunics reminiscent of prison shirts, and wore sandals with toe rings and leg bracelets. The Incredibles and the Marvelous loved to party so much that it was said at the time that they were afflicted with "dansomania," an epidemic of dance! For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.