Pied-de-biche or Hoof Foot Candlesticks - French c.1890

Pied-de-biche Candlesticks * French circa 1890 * Pied-de-biche(1) or Hoof Foot design * Good Patination * W: 13cm (5.1")   H: 25cm (9.8")   D: 13cm (5.1") (1) Who knew that there was something in common between the humble crowbar and cabriole legs? At the start of the 18th century, cabinetmakers began to refine their craft by dispensing with stretchers and straight legs and introducing the cabriole leg which features a double curve. This is a stylised representation of an animals hind leg with an elongated “S” shape where the foot ended in the form of a plethora of foot designs from hoofs to ball and claw. These were termed ‘pied-de-biche’ and referred to the curved leg of a table or chair that ended in a hoof; the term literally means doe’s foot. However, overtime the term has come to mean crowbar and cabriole leg.