Walking stick

The handle of this cane is made of ivory which is pricked ('picquer' in French) with tiny holes which were inlaid in silver. The little dots were arranged like scrolls and sometimes also formed initials and dates. This type of walking stick was called a piqué cane and became fashionable in the late 17th century when the technique was brought to England by the Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.

Walking sticks were fashionable accessories for gentlemen. Ribbons, or cane strings, as they seem to have been called, were attached to small holes either in the head of the cane or slightly further down. The strings were mainly ornamental but you could also wrap them around your wrist to let your cane dangle in a laissez-faire fashion.