Walking stick that belonged to Dalí.

Walking stick that belonged to SALVADOR DALÍ (Figueras, Girona, 1904 - 1989).
Walnut wood and ivory.
Measurements: 95 cm (cane); 108,5 x 24,5 cm (frame).

Fascinating collector's item, which fits in with Dalí's personal universe, both for the type of cane and for the aristocratic personality he displayed.

It is a cane with a handle carved in ivory, with a female figure reclining next to her partner, a dressed man. The cane is made of dark wood, probably walnut.

Salvador Dalí, the Spanish surrealist painter whose work marked much of the 20th century, not only created paintings, sculptures, prints and designs, but also cultivated an eccentric and theatrical public image that made him as iconic as his paintings. An important part of that image was his presence with a cane in multiple photographs and public appearances. Dalí used the cane not only as a functional object, but also as a performative accessory that reinforced his status as an "extravagant genius" and gave him a regal and theatrical posture.

In different portraits of Dalí, from New York to Paris, the artist appears holding his cane with great solemnity, often accompanied by his unique moustache, elegant attire or flamboyant dress. These images helped forge a theatrical and aristocratic personal aesthetic, part of the public persona that Dalí deliberately cultivated to reflect his vision of the artist as an aristocratic and Dionysian figure.

This relationship between personal object and vital performance turns the cane into something more than a simple support instrument: it is a symbol of presence, an extension of Dalí himself in society.

Dalí not only created art, he was an obsessive collector of curious, kitsch, erotic and Art Nouveau objects. He was fascinated by canes (it was part of his image as an eccentric dandy) and objects that mixed the luxurious with the perverse.

Canes with erotic handles (called "cabinet" or "curiosity" canes) were popular in France and Europe in the late 19th century. Often (though not on the cane we are bidding on) the erotic figure was hidden or disguised so that the gentleman would not shock anyone as he walked, but could show it in private. It is probably an antique cane (ca. 1890-1920) that Dalí bought or received as a gift.