Teaching pointer?

[khunn]

Found this at an estate sale. It is a pointer of some kind( teaching, music...?). There was an antique piano in the house... so maybe for music lessons? 20 inches long and looks to be made of ebony with brass rings and tip with mop inlays. any ideas would be appreciated. thnx for looking.

[khunn]

pictures here..srry

[talesofthesevenseas]

Oh wow! I've never seen anything quite that fancy used as a pointer! It's absolutely lovely. That was a very good find. Just a thought, but given that it is so fancy, maybe it was used by a conductor of an orchestra?

[khunn]

It was untagged( found it in a drawer ), and the people running the sale for the family had no info on it.
Most likely will go in the $5 special section( small closet I have filled with items purchased dirt cheap that need to be researched )

[sapphire]

While not as interestingly hand crafted as your piece, I think Tales might be on to something.......

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/8987773

17.5" long
Estimate $100 - $200
Starting Bid $50

SOLD $225

[mariok54]

When I first saw it I also thought of a conductor's baton, but on reflection, I'm not so sure.  It looks a little too 'ornate' and it's shaped almost as if to be gripped in the hand (middle section in photo 2 which seems to be about 4", just right for the size of a hand ... as any horsey person out there will recognise ). So I'm thinking that perhaps it was a swagger stick, which might also account for it's decoration. I doubt very much whether it would have started off in life as a teaching stick, a little too fancy, but who knows what it was ever used as?

Just read the description again, and am wondering about the 'brass rings'. Are you sure  they are brass, only that if this was a quality piece then it would be more common for any metalwork top be at least silver.

Also, have you tried using it as a 'conductor's baton', given it a few waves holding it as a conductor might? I have a feeling that it might be too weighty and not balanced, but not based on anything other than those two small pics. 

[waywardangler]

The rings look coppery to me and some German silver does take on that hue if not polished. I would doubt the rings are brass or silver but German silver would fit right in with the other decorations. Conductor batons should be light or the conductor's arm would not be so fluid by the end of a symphony. Ebony is a dense wood and rather heavy for its size and combined with the MOP inlays and metal rings would make this rather weighty for a conductor. I would be surprised if this was a baton for conducting but it may have been a presentation piece and not meant to be used.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Does it look like anything may have broken off the tip? I keep seeing Torah pointers that are ornate like this, mostly in siver, but a few in wood. However, every one of them has a carved hand with a finger pointing at the tip. Torah pointers were used to turn the pages of the book and point out places in the book so that human hands would not touch the text, which is regarded as sacred.

[waywardangler]

Tales may be onto something with the torah pointer. The tip is light colored so maybe it is a fitting for the missing pointer hand?

I would rule out a swagger stick as this would not lend itself to anyone's swagger exhibiting this as an accessory.

[KC]

I agree with the question that Talesof has presented!  Like Wayward stated, the pointer is rather weighty for lengthy use.  However, mayber they have a body-building conductor or teacher out there? 

[talesofthesevenseas]

If it could be determined that the family is Jewish, that might be a pretty good indicator. Is the surname of the family this came from known?

[mariok54]

My only problem with it being a Torah Pointer is the length. It's already 20" long, add another 2" for the pointing hand, and I think that would be a very long Torah Pointer, but I've no real idea as to how long they can be, I've only ever seen examples up to 10" - 12", and I could count ones I've actually seen on the fingers of one hand.

I would rule out a swagger stick as this would not lend itself to anyone's swagger exhibiting this as an accessory.

I'm sure that swaggerers (is there such a beast?) came in all shapes and sizes, with equally as diverse tastes 

[waywardangler]

Mario, would you carry this accessory to emphasize your swagger? And neither would I.  

This shop should be able to answer the swagger stick question...