Cane with Incised Phrasing and Emblems Overall

Unidentified, Cane with Incised Phrasing and Emblems Overall, wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.41
Copied Unidentified, Cane with Incised Phrasing and Emblems Overall, wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.41
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Artwork Details

Title
Cane with Incised Phrasing and Emblems Overall
Artist
Unidentified
Location
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums Description
wood
Classifications
Keywords
  • Emblem
Object Number
1998.84.41
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1998.84.41

Artwork Description

Artists decorate canes with a wide variety of images, from traditional carvings of snakes and birds, to nude women, political figures, and celebrities. Some artists highlight the natural shape of the wood by applying relief designs onto twisted branches and roots, while others carve three-dimensional shapes into the shaft. Images of animals are the most popular decoration, but many canes also show patriotic, fraternal, and political themes. (George Meyer, American Folk Art Canes, 1992)