A cabriole leg is one of (usually) four vertical supports of furniture formed in two indentations; bow over the convex, while under the sunken; the upper curve always bends outward, while the lower curve bends inwards; with the axes of two curves in the same plane. This design was used by ancient Chinese and Greeks, but appeared in Europe in the early 18th century, when it was incorporated into a more curved style produced in France, England and the Netherlands.
According to Bird, "nothing symbolizes 18th century furniture over cabriole legs." The cabriole design is often associated with a bun or "football and claw" foot design. In the UK, this design is characteristic of Queen Anne and Chippendale furniture. In France, cabriole legs are associated with the Louis XV period of furniture design. The cabriole design appeared for the first time in the United States in the 18th century. The basis of the original concept is imitated at the foot of a certain four foot mammals, especially ungulates. The etymology of this term is specifically derived from the French word cabrioler , which means jumping like a goat .
Video Cabriole leg
History
The earliest forms of cabriole legs are known in ancient China and Greece. In the case of ancient China, these feet are very closely related to the lacquered table. While Chinese culture preserves the continuity of usage history, Europe lost this style before the Middle Ages. Finally in France, at the beginning of the 18th century the cabriole leg style reappeared, mimicking the popular graphic scroll design found in French art around the year 1700; in France this design is part of Rococo style. Rapidly England produced a version of the cabriole foot, which was historically called Queen Anne Style and attributed to the period 1712-1760. (The period of Queen Anne's rule lasts from 1702 to 1712, but the period of Queen Anne's furniture is generally deemed to continue until 1760, although imitation, of course, lasts until the next period.) Queen Anne's queen seats usually have a backdrop with a circular design and a vase-shaped splat; it also usually has a bread or foot pad. (The alternative design of the Queen Anne chair is composed of Chinese style, which has a flat back, vertical back edges and a cabriole-style leg.) The next evolution of cabriole feet in England occurred around 1750 with the advent of furniture design Chippendale; while Chippendale seats adopt cabriole legs, the design of the feet becomes more subtle than Queen Anne's style.
American design emerged in the mid-18th century, imitating the style of Queen Anne England and borrowing elements from its three sub-periods of development in England: the Queen Anne period (1702-1714), the George I period (1714-1727) and George Period II (1727 -1760). To demonstrate the central role of cabriole legs in this period of American furniture, this period "has often been called the cabriole period, and this is not a mistake, since cabriole feet find an almost universal job in most forms of furniture". American cabriole feet are strongly associated with the foot-bearing design. Regional differences emerged in American cabriole leg style in the mid to late 18th century; for example, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts style features a very slim cabriole leg compared to other American regions.
Maps Cabriole leg
Construction
Currently, Cabriole foot continues to be used and more modern manufacturing techniques are applied to form this complex shape. However, the initial step is to set up templates drawn on hardboard or cardboard. Structurally, cabriole legs are weaker because the "S" shape is more accentuated or "bent"; in any case the cabriole legs must be made from a solid piece of wood, not a laminate. Some initial rough changes are sometimes done using lathe, but ultimately bandwing is required due to complex arc formation of the design. The next steps include the application of spokeshave, hoarse and scraper. The lower part of the leg may end with a bun, ball or "ball and claw" rendition; Queen Anne style furniture uses bun feet (also called pad foot). Small brackets are constructed from separate pieces of wood and affixed with nails or screws.
Examples in famous collections
There are a number of pieces of cabriole legs in an important collection of historic antique furniture. In Henry Cavendish's listed collection there is a set of "ten seats satinwood in decorative feet with matching horse couches" documented to have been obtained by Cavendish himself. Another example is manifested in a cherry candlestick derived from Gloucester with cabriole feet, described by the Essex Institute produced between 1725 and 1750; In addition, these specimens are notorious for the initial design of the installation of the foot pegs as opposed to attachments in later eras.
See also
- Leg (furniture)
- Highboy
- Nursing chair
- Ormolu
References
External links
- Photos of Queen Anne's English side chairs with cabriole legs (circa 1730 AD) at Dewitt Wallace Decorative Art Museum
Source of the article : Wikipedia