1960s Gucci Wood Golf Club Web Stripe Long Shoe Horn

This long shoehorn was made in Italy for Gucci in the 1960s, in the form of a golf club. It combines wood, resin and cow horn, carries a ring in Gucci's web stripe on the shaft, and hangs from a gold-tone chain. It is signed Gucci Italy and measures 58 cm, with a 10 cm head. In the 1960s Gucci, still run by the founder's sons, produced a range of objects for the home and for leisure alongside its leather goods, often drawing on the worlds of sport and riding.

The green-red-green web stripe is one of Gucci's oldest signatures, derived from the canvas girth that holds a saddle in place, and it reflects the house's origins in equestrian goods. In the 1950s and 1960s it appeared on bags, shoes and accessories, identifying Gucci without the need for a logo. Here it becomes a small ring on the shaft, a discreet mark of the house on a decorative object.

Golf was a symbol of leisure and status in the mid-twentieth century, associated with country clubs, resorts and an international elite, many of whom were also Gucci customers. Objects that referred to the sport carried those associations into the home. A shoehorn in the form of a golf club joins a practical task to a reference to leisure, with a touch of humour typical of the period's luxury gifts.

The piece combines wood for the shaft, resin and cow horn for the head and blade, and gold-tone metal for the chain. Horn is traditional for shoehorns because it is smooth and strong and does not damage leather. The long shaft allows a shoe to be put on without bending. The web stripe ring and the signature turn a useful object into a recognisable piece of Gucci design.

Gucci's objects for the home and leisure from the family era are collected for their wit and craftsmanship as well as their name. This shoehorn, in very good condition, works both as a practical tool and as a decorative piece for an entrance or dressing room.