Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle

Paul Gauguin French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 825

Gauguin made five trips to Brittany between 1886 and 1894. He liked the region's "savage, primitive" quality. His perception is embodied in the carving of this walking stick, with its snake-entwined shaft and handle in the form of a female nude supporting a Breton wooden shoe. The sole of the shoe slides open to reveal a hidden compartment.

Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French

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Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French
Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French
Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French
Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French
Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French
Walking stick with a female nude and a Breton sabot on the handle, Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands), Boxwood, mother-of-pearl [Pinctada margaritifera (black-lip pearl oyster)], glass, and iron, French

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