Le Decapite Recalcitrant/Trick Decapitation Cane. Circa 1890. Being a segmented wooden cane topped with a finely carved ebony head, resting on carved wooden shoulders. Amazingly, a small knife can be passed through the neck of the carved bust without separating it from its mounting. Brass ferrule unscrews to reveal a compartment for the tiny bone-handled knife. Overall length of 38 1/4". 

Trick canes of this nature became popular in the Victorian era and took their name from a performance at the Theatre Robert-Houdin in which a man was decapitated on stage without any ill effects. Years later, a smaller and less expensive version of this trick was made by Willman in various forms (including one with a Mickey Mouse head), and even later the method was used for a popular pocket novelty sold in joke shops worldwide. This is perhaps the best and most elegant version of this clever yet simple technology put to use in service of a magic trick.