Why did we include the French Bulldog in our line of door dog knobs and door hardware? Well, the breed is definitely cute and its round head is perfect for use as a door knob but the reason is a more commercial one as the breed is the second most common breed for dog owners in the US and UK and hopefully will be one of our best-selling dog themed products.
French Bulldog Suitable for most Interior Doors
Thanks to Wikipedia I learned that the French bulldog was the result of English Lace workers from Nottingham who emigrated to Normandy France after their industry was decimated by the English industrial revolution of the 1800’s. These displaced migrants brought with them their English bulldogs and the ones they took tended to be smaller. It would appear that the local population were especially attracted to those dogs that had upward pointing ears and this characteristic was selectively bred into the breed that became the French bulldog.
French Bulldogs are often kept as companions, they rarely bark, and the breed is known for being both patient and affectionate and good at living with other dog breeds. As they are very people oriented, they tend to be easier to train than many breeds and clearly their size makes them ideal for smaller homes.
We began the French Bulldog design with a free-hand pencil drawing as Martin found it easier to plan the sculpted head with a drawing that focused on the creases and lines that are part of this breeds character. The drawing was then traced onto vellum and the side view was outlined on a 3” x 3” block of high-density foam. The sculpture took a few days to carve and on completion was sealed with grey primer. The subsequent 2- part mold was used to create the red wax replica shown here.
Sculpted French Bulldog Head used for the mold from which the red wax head was poured. A wax block was added to the chin and will become the gate through which the molten bronze will flow.