Taxidermy Ostrich Foot Table Lamp

A singular example of late Victorian anthropomorphic and utilitarian taxidermy, this table lamp is formed from a preserved ostrich foot (Struthio camelus) retaining its prominent primary claw and scaled dermal texture. The skin has been prepared and stitched by hand up the tarsal seam, then fitted beneath a turned wooden collar to receive an electrical brass gallery.

The foot rests upon a custom-contoured oval hardwood plinth, stepped to accommodate the irregular profile of the digits. Fitted with a flared, four-sided pagoda shade in textured bronze cloth trimmed with dark corner tassels, the piece epitomises the eccentric colonial sporting trophies and natural history novelties popular in British country house interiors around the turn of the twentieth century.