Anonymous Crocodiles and Snakes Folk Art Cane.
c. mid 1900s. Not signed.
Carved, painted and stained wood.
Overall length 33".
Excellent vintage condition with minor wear commensurate with age and usage.
Provenance: Jim and Ilona Fleming.
The Mike Dale Collection.
Est. $300-$500.
Ship: $45

The Crocodiles and Snakes Folk Art Cane offered here is unusual in several respects. While most canes taper from top to bottom, this cane remains essentially the same thickness throughout. The top and bottom of the cane feature heavily carved alligators devouring each end. The entire shaft of the cane is carved with horizontal lines, which nicely set off the two carved snakes swirled around the heart of the cane. The spotted paint on the bodies of the two snakes is truly amazing and largely intact with little if any wear. The handle of the cane features three rounded sections, meant to be part of the alligator's body, also decorated with spotted paint and a lighter stain than the shaft.

The three canes and folk art war club which follow are from the Jim and Ilona Fleming Collection of North American Folk Art. Jim Fleming (born 1939) is a former Canadian broadcaster and politician. In 1972, Fleming entered politics and was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as the Liberal Member of Parliament for York West in the Toronto area. After the 1980 election, he was named to the cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as Minister of State for Multiculturalism. When his political career ended in the mid-1980s, Fleming and his wife Ilona turned a love for antiques and folk art into a business and became dealers at the Bowmanville, Rhinebeck, Adirondack and NY Pier Shows. They are now retired.