About Vertical Art

This spectacular book presents 400 rare and remarkable canes from around the world, spanning the 17th century through the mid-20th century. Drawn from a single, distinguished private collection, the book reveals walking sticks as true objets d’art—crafted of ivory, coral, tortoiseshell, silver, gold, platinum, wood, crystal, porcelain, minerals, and precious and semi-precious stones. Each cane is captured in sumptuous photography and paired with detailed descriptions that illuminate its artistry, provenance, and cultural significance. A treasure for collectors, connoisseurs, and anyone with a passion for the decorative arts. 

                               "The great public collections of the United States are by now well known throughout the world. 

                                         The private collections are much less so." —Alan Pryce-Jones, The Collector in America

Although written in the 1960s, this observation still rings true. Despite today’s unrelenting clamor for publicity in the art world, some of the finest private collections have long remained hidden, quietly nurtured over the decades with patience, discernment, and a deep love for the objects themselves. The Vertical Art Collection of canes and walking sticks is one such treasure.

For centuries, canes have been admired for their beauty, ingenuity, and symbolism, yet they often lingered in obscurity—confined to museum storerooms, hidden away in private hands, or dismissed as curiosities. That perception began to change in 2008 with the publication of Vertical Art: The Enduring Beauty of Antique Canes and Walking Sticks. 

With Umberto Barone’s dramatic photography—praised by The New York Times for presenting knobs “enlarged to saucer size and arranged in eerie tableaus amid smoke tendrils, water sprays, sand dunes and rose petals”—canes emerged as startling works of art.  What makes this collection especially compelling is its breadth and depth. 

From jeweled Fabergé creations sparkling with diamonds, to finely carved ivory figures, to canes of coral, tortoiseshell, silver, porcelain, and crystal, the holdings are as varied as they are exquisite. Some examples astonish with their opulence, others delight with humor or surprise, and many reflect the cultural, political, or artistic currents of their time. Together, they form a sweeping panorama of human creativity expressed through a single, deceptively simple object. 

 The owner of this collection, who chose to remain anonymous, has over the years taken a leading role in encouraging recognition for this field. Most notably as a  devoted supporter of the international cane conferences—gatherings that bring together scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world for presentations, debate and camaraderie. 

Throughout a long collecting odyssey, the owner has remained both an avid scholar and connoisseur—captivated by the history and romance of canes, and determined to acquire the finest and most unusual examples. Formed with quiet dedication, the collection now stands as one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind. Its strength lies not only in the splendor of its individual pieces—whether opulent, whimsical, or ingenious—but in the sweeping story they tell together. Today, new collectors and enthusiasts continue to emerge, expanding interest in what was once an overlooked field. 

Vertical Art: The Enduring Beauty of Antique Canes and Walking Sticks, ©Vertical Art LLC, 2008, . Photography by Umberto Barone; Text by Roberta Maneker; Concept and Design by Pierangelo Marengo and Piero Luigi Carboni; Set Design by Giacomo Barone; Jewelry Historian Simon Teakle; Foreword by Wendell Garrett. ISBN: 9781555952945