By the time we reach the present day, the story of the cane has traveled through many centuries and many events linked to both the development of society and the history of fashion and costume.
However, the most interesting period in the history of the cane is probably the complete change in its function, in fact, as the centuries passed, the cane gradually lost its strong symbolic links with political or religious power, at times in order to represent other values, but it has always been in perfect tune with the ideas of the time.
In the West, at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the concept of modernity pervaded all areas of human activity, and important developments in taste and ideas led to a clean break with all previous cultural, social and aesthetic traditions.
Even the cane played its part in this period of renewal, acquiring once and for all – if only for a very short time- the role which today is still immediately linked to its image: the image of the indispensable accessory of the elegant man, a real status symbol of the bourgeoisie and of the “dandies” who lived between the end of the last century and the first decades of this century.
Although they varied enormously according to the taste and requirements of their owner, canes became a distinctive symbol of refined affectation in dress and were obligatory during the “ promenades “ or other fashionable engagements that punctuated the days of the well-to-do and middle classes of the time.
Between the end of the Nineteenth Century and the beginning of this century, canes of all types enjoyed their greatest success, in terms of the quality produced, but as decorative objects they also adapted well to interpreting the new aesthetic requirements of Art Nouveau, the moment known better in Italy under the English name “Liberty “.
The stylized images of the female figure or the natural world which were so dear to the refined, decorative art produced at the time also appear on cane handles which adopted the curved lines and preferred materials such as silver, ivory and rock- crystal.