The glory of this piece, as with some ladies, is in its legs. Beautifully hand carved, each leg features a spray of ruffle-edge acanthus leaves leading the eye down to the ball and claw feet. The latter was a design innovation that originated in China, where it symbolized a dragon’s claw clutching a pearl, representing all sorts of good things any human would want. The motif was first adapted in the West by English silversmiths, and in the crafting of Georgian furniture, the claw imaginatively evolved into a lion’s paw or a falcon’s talon. One should try to learn something new every day, no?