four original and intact early 20th century american antique ornamental cast iron ball & claw feet designed and fabricated by the garden city plating & mfg. co., chicago, il. the fanciful feet were commonly used on early 20th century victorian furniture (i.e., parlor tables, piano stools, etc). each ball & claw foot leg base measures 4 inches in length. the glass balls contain a purple hue - sometimes referred to as "sun purple colored glass." beginning in the 1860's, glass makers in the united states started using manganese to give glass clarity instead of lead due to lead shortages created by the civil war. glass containing manganese eventually turns a light purple when exposed to sunlight, a side effect that was unknown at the time the practice started. around 1915, most companies in the united states switched from manganese to selenium to maintain clearness in their glass. thus, with a few exceptions, including heisey, fostoria and imperial, companies that produced this type of glass likely manufactured it from the 1860's to the years around 1915. measure 4 inches long. priced for the lot of four.