|
A B
C DE FGH
IJK LM NOP
QR S TU
VWXYZ
Acanthus
A classical leaf decoration. Adams Period –
Circa 1775 – 1800. Adam Style
Interior room decoration which took place in the latter half of the
18th century. Amboyna
A hard West Indies wood used in inlays and bandings.
Amorini
Gilded wood carved cupid figures.
Antique
A term for furniture or decorative arts which are over a 100 years
old.
Apron
A section of wood below a table top.
Armoire
Large French two-door cupboard or wardrobe. Originally holding
personal armour. Arts & Crafts Period – Circa
1890 – 1900. Arts and Crafts Movement
Refers to a group of craftsmen, designers and artist in the last of
the 19th century who were commited to hand crafting as against
machine production. Astragal
A moulding used as glazing bars for glass on furniture.
Bachelor's Chest
A chest of drawers with a lift over top supported by pull out rails.
Baluster
A circular pillar on a table or chair leg. Banding
A veneered borders on top of furniture.
Beading
A moulding that is semi-circular found on case furniture.
Bergere
An upholstered armchair with closed, caned or upholstered, sides.
French.
Biedermeier
A German style around 1815 that was popular in Europe until the
middle of the 19th century. Derived from French Empire with
fruitwoods and carved details.
Birdcage
A wood form under the top of a tilt-top pedestal table that allows
the top to turn.
Blind Fret
Pierced ornamental work that is carved on a wood surface.
Boiserie
Carved wooden panelling. French.
Boule, Andre Charles (1642-1732)
A cabinet maker in France during Louis XIV. Worked at The Palace of
Versailles. Placed brass inlays into wood or tortoiseshell. Known as
Buhl work.
Bow Front
Bowing outwards in a piece of furniture (convex form).
Bracket
A support between the leg and main portion of a chest or table.
Buffet
A sideboard in a dining room with cupboards for storage.
Bureau Plat
A writing table. French.
Burl
Usually diseased wood because of bark problems that is used as
veneer on furniture. The wood has speckled patterns. Sometimes
called Burr as in Burr Walnut, Elm. Cabochon
A carved decoration resembling a gem.
Cabriole Leg
Resembles a hind leg of an animal, which curves outward at the top
of the knee and turns in at the foot. Spanish "cabriole."
Calamander
A member of the ebony family.Popular in the Regency period, it is
light brown in color, striped, mottled with black and wasused for
veneers and banding. Canterbury
A small stand to hold books or music sheets. Cassone
A well decorated and carved Italian chest that can be painted.
Charles II Period – Circa 1660 -1685.
Chippendale Period – Circa 1749 – 1779.
Chippendale, Thomas (1718-1779)
An English cabinetmakers who dominated mid-18th century British
furniture design.
Chiffonier
French for a small standing cupboard. Cloisonné
An enameling technique in which thin wire partitions-cloisons-are
filled with enamel. It is an art form practiced in ancient Byzantium
and in China today. The name comes from the French verb cloisonner,
to partition.
Cockbead
A moulding used on the perimeter of veneered drawer fronts that is
semicircular.
Console Table
A table attached to a wall usually half round in form.
Court Cupboard
An open sideboard for the display of plates. Having different tiered
levels.
Credenza
A sideboard form used for serving. Italian.
Crinoline Stretcher
A crescent/hoop shaped stretcher used to join legs of Windsor
chairs. Crossbanding
A veneer on the edge of furniture where the grain runs across and
opposite the top grain.
Cricket Table
A small early three-legged table.
Crotch Veneer
Veneers cut from the intersection of a tree branch with the trunk of
the tree.
Having a V- shaped form. Davenport Desk
A writing table with a sloping lid enclosing a desk compartment
above a case fitted of drawers.
Deal
Pine or fir used as secondary woods for the carcass of case
furniture. Sometimes used as a base wood that is to be veneered.
Dovetail
Furniture construction a wood joint. A wedge that interlocks.
Drum Table
A table of circular form on a tripod base with drawers. English.
Sometimes called a rent table.
Dumb Waiter
A stand with two or more graduated circular tiers supported by a
tripod base. The circular tiers move so the hostess can serve after
the waiter departed.
Ebenist
A cabinetmaker. French.
Ebonizing
Wood that is finished to look like ebony. Edwardian Period – Circa 1901 – 1910.
Embossing
A raised pattern seen on metal, leather, or cloth.
Empire Period (American) - Circa 1830 – 1880.
En Suite
Matching chairs, sofas and tables.
Étagère
Having several shelves (a what-not). Used to display curios.
Escutcheon
On furniture it is a fitting over a keyhole or the backplate of a
handle. Federal Period
(American) - Circa 1800 – 1830. Festoon
Ornamental forms of garland loops or a chain of flowers.
Finial
A final ornament used to show the ending of a structure.
Fluting
Carved channels in columns, friezes, and legs. Sometimes filled with
brass or finish.
Gadroon
A carved convex border, either curved or straight.
Garde Du Vin
A cellaret. French.
Gateleg Table
A drop-leaf table with the drop-leaves supported by
hinged legs Gesso
Used as a decorative base for gilding or painting. Made of gypsum
with linseed oil and size. Girandole
A candelabrum with candleholders that are gilded or gilt metal.
Mounted on a wall or mirror to reflect the light of the candle
flame. French.
Gueridon
A lamp stand or small table. French. Harlequin Table
A small Sheraton table with the center part raising when leaves
raised. Then showing a compartment for toiletry, writing or sewing
implements.
Hepplewhite Period – Circa 1775 – 1800.
Hepplewhite, George (died 1786)
Cabinetmaker. Wrote the book "Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's
Guide."
Herringbone
Inlays that alternate and form a chevron effect.
H-Stretcher
Parallel stretchers in a chair or table construction. Being joined
by a central stretcher making the form of an “H”.
Hutch
A standing or hanging food cupboard. French.
Imbrication
Carved decorations resembling fish scales.
Incised Lacquer
Lacquer surface that has been build up with different colors and
then decorations carved into the surface.
Intaglio
A design cut and carved into a surface.
Intarsia
A pattern cut into wood in the form of panel inserts. Japanning
Oriental lacquerwork from Japan and the Far East. Resins mixed with
other materials, colored, polished, and gilded. Used in England.
Joint Stool
A turned leg small stool with mortise and tenon joints. Jacobean.
Kas
A large two door cupboard on bun feet. Dutch.
Kauffmann, Angelica (1741-1807)
A Swiss painter that decorated furniture. Last portion of the 18th
century.
Kettle Stand
A delicate small table to hold a hot water kettle or tea urn.
Kingwood
A dark purple in color wood used for inlays and veneers in flat
work.
Klismos
An ancient Greek chair having turned in legs. Revived by the English
cabinetmaker Thomas Hope in the Regency period.
Laburnum
A wood that is yellowish with brown highlights that takes a high
polish. Usually for veneered surfaces in 18th century English
furniture. Known as Oystering when branches are cut so the veneer
appears in circles. Lacquer
An oriental high dense finish with many coats of shellac.
Lazy Susan
A revolving tray for condiments in the center of a dining table. It
is thought that it is the American answer to the English Dumbwaiter
in the late 18th Century. Linenfold
An ornamental panel imitating folds of linen used in the early 16th
century.
Loo Table
A center table that is either round or oval and used in the English
game called “Loo”.
Lotus
An early ornament in the form of a flower with Egyptian influence.
Low Boy
A low chest of table with drawers and four legs.
Lunette
A half moon form (demi-lune) that is filled with painting, inlays or
carving. Marquetry
Veneers that are fitted together like a jigsaw. Then they are
applied as panels to furniture.
Marquise Chair
A chair that holds two people. French.
Menuisier
Cabinetmaker. French.
Mule Chest
A late 17th and 18th century blanket chest with lifting top and
having one or two drawers below.
Mullion
Glazing bars for holding windows in a piece of furniture.
Needlepoint
An upholstery covering that is embroidery on canvas.
Nulling
A carving similar to gadrooning. Ogee
An “S” shaped or double curved moulding.
Ormolu
Gilded bronze used in furniture. Also used on items as clocks
mounts.
Oyster Veneer
A veneering using the cross-sections of small branches of different
woods. Pad Foot
A round flat termination of a cabriole leg.
Padouk
A heavy wood from Burma.
Palisander
A Rosewood from India. French.
Palmette
A carved stylized palm leaf.
Panetiere
A well carved or decorated bread box. French.
Papier Mache
Paper pulp that is pressed and moulded into various shapes. Then
lacquered and varnished with decorations. Used in the mid 19th
Century.
Parcel-Gilt
Something that is partially gilded. Usually on silver. Also used on
furniture.
Parquetry
Geometric inlay using different woods.
Patera
A raised carving resembling a rosette or flower.
Pembroke Table
A table with drop leafs and four legs. The leaves are hinged or held
by wood brackets. Sometimes having drawers.
Pie Crust Table
A round table top with raised edge looking like a pie-crust.
Pied-de-Biche
A deer foot form. French.
Pole Screen
An upright pole supported by a tripod base with an adjustable screen
to protect from drafts. Quartered
A milling of a log in four quarters at the center of the log. Then
the boards produce a cross graining.
Quartetto
Four tables that nest together one beneath the other.
Quattrefoil
A carved and stylized four-leaf clover. Rail
A wood member in cabinet making that is a horizontal support.
Reeding
Two small convex carvings that are together and used on boarders and
edges of furniture.
Refectory Table
A middle age term of a long and narrow table named after the
refectory or dining room of monks.
Regency Period – Circa 1800 – 1830.
Rocaille
Meaning Rococo.
Rococo
Elaborate carved ornaments with shells, “c” scrools and curves which
are asymmetrical. Roundel
A carved medallion. As a patera. Sabot
A metal foot on a wood leg. French.
Scagliola
Faux marble made up of chips of marble, granite, alabaster,
plaster-of-paris, and coloring. Used on commodes and console table
tops.
Secretaire a Abattant
A narrow tall cabinet with a writing desk behind a fall-front.
French.
Serpentine
A double “S” frontal form on furniture such as a chest of drawers or
a table top.
Serrated
Carving that is a zigzag ornament. Gothic origin.
Settee
An open-work seat for two or more. Having arms and back and
sometimes upholstered.
Settle
A solid seat for two or several people. Having arms and back and
usually constructed of oak. The seat is hinged that opens to a
storage box.
Sewing Table
A work table having a lidded top holding implements. Plus a lower
drawer that has a cloth bag attached and holding materials.
Shellac
An East Indies secretion produced by insects in certain trees. It is
a natural resin that is soluble in alcohol. This mixture in brushed
on furniture and dries quickly. It creates a high finish. Called
French Polish.
Sheraton Period – Circa 1790 – 1805.
Sheraton, Thomas (1750 - 1806)
An English cabinetmaker. His designs are straight and classical,
after Hepplewhite and Adam.
Sideboard
Basically a serving table that evolved into a piece of furniture in
the late 18th century. Kept in the dining room to store plates,
linens and wines. Socle
A plinth base on furniture or a pedestal for a statue.
Sofa table
A table with two drop leaves on the long ends. Similar to a Pembroke
table but longer. Usually seen in the Georgian or the Regency
period.
Spade Foot
A tapered foot that is rectangular in form and resembles a spade. A
Hepplewhite design.
Sphinx
A mythical winged figure, half woman and half lion. Egyptian.
Splat
A vertical member in the middle of a chair back that joins the top
rail and seat rail.
Squab
A chair cushion that is removable. Stile - Outside members of a cabinet door that hold a panel.
Stretcher- Cross members that connect legs in furniture such as
chairs and tables.
Stringing
Inlays of contrasting woods or metal making a narrow border.
Stumpwork
Needlework that is raised in sections.
Table Chair
An armchair that has a back which is hinged and drops down as a
table top.
Tabouret
A low footstool with upholstered seat.
Tambour
Doors that are made from thin strips of wood that slide within
furniture or cupboards. The strips of wood are glued onto a canvas
backing.
Tea Caddy
With tea being very valuable it was stored in containers. At one
time they were porcelain jars from China then in the Georgian and
Regency period they were made of wood, silver and tortoiseshell with
silver mounts and locks.
Tole/Tole Peinte
Usually tinplate and in the form of trays and accessories that are
paint decorated.
Toleware
The American term for tinplate.
Torchere
A tripod stand for holding lights or decorative items.
Treenware
Hand carved wood articles and utensils (kitchen-ware) for domestic
use.
Trumeau
A Louis XV and Louis XVI overmantel mirror and having a popular
painting above. Underframing
Wooden members that form the framework that supports tables,
cabinets or chairs.
Uprights
Wood members that are vertical on a chair back which continues as
one piece into the legs. Valance
A drapery term meaning the top horizontal section.
Vargueno
A cabinet with a desk behind a fall front. Usually on a stand. Early
Spanish.
Varnish
A finish of clear oil or spirit that is brushed on to protect wood
surfaces.
Vernis Martin
An early 18th century lacquer technique by the French Martin
brothers.
Verre Eglomise
Painting on glass and then backed with gold or silver metallic foil.
Usually on mirrors. Victorian Period – Circa 1837 – 1901.
What Not
Tier of shelves supported by turned posts used to display articles.
Also called Etargere.
Zebrawood
A wood from Brazil that is a red-brown color. Having dark stripes
sometimes called Tigerwood. Back to
Top |
