Xiaodan's Foot
Xiaodan's Foot | |
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奇妙的金属脚 | |
Material | Iron alloy |
Size | Size of a human foot |
Created | Caphirian Royal Foundry |
Xiaodan's Foot is a silver foot prosthetic that belonged to Emperor Xiaodan of the Qian dynasty. The foot was made by the silversmiths of the Royal Foundry of Caphirian Imperator Panocoscăr II, who commissioned the prosthetic as a gift for the Daxian emperor. It was designed for a right foot and made of shaped silver with fine golden adornments and banded copper, inlaid saphires, rubies, garnets, emeralds, mother pearl and glass. It was held in place by strips of fine horse leather that have since rotted away. Emperor Xiaodan was reputedly one of the most obese emperors in Daxian history, losing his right foot due to complications from gout when he was only 35 years old.
Description
The foot measures 24 centimeters in length, ten centimeters across and sixteen centimeters high. It is made of exquisitively worked silver, all of the surface excepting the toes is covered in flowers worked in gold, the foot sole and bands are also pure gold. It is encrusted with twenty six large gems and forty two small ones. The gems are saphires, emeralds, rubies, garnets and amethysts. On the bridge of the foot there is a viewing panel, the silversmiths were under the impression the Emperor's foot was merely withered and once it was inserted in the silver foot, its condition could be monitored with the viewing panel. The entire foot would have been secured with leather straps.
History
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Xiaodan's foot from an angle
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Xiaodan's foot from the side