Acanthus
A stylized leaf decoration derived from classical ornament and the acanthus plant.

Adam Style
The classical revival in architecture, furniture, and interior decoration which took place in the latter half of the 18th century. Robert and James Adam were principal proponents of this movement. Characterised by refined delicacy of ornament based on Roman and Greek motifs.

Ambonya
A brown, honey-toned wood, both hard and durable, from the West Indies. Used as veneers, inlays, and bandings.

Amorini
Carved and painted or gilt cupid figures found in Italian Renaissance and Baroque art.

Anthemion
A stylized decorative motif fashioned after the honeysuckle.

Antique
An 18th century term, sometimes written as 'antick,' or after the antique, to define ancient Roman or Greek design. Used to label furniture or decorative arts which are over a century old.

Apron
An extension, usually decorative, below the seat rail of a chair, table, or cabinet.

Arabesque
A repetitive and intricate pattern based on middle eastern design of stylized flower and plant forms.

Armoire
A large French provincial two-door cupboard or wardrobe. Originally used to store armour.

Astragal
A small, semi-circular moulding usually employed to align cabinet doors or as glazing bars on furniture.

Atlantes
A carved male figure, full or half, which supports a table top or entablature.

Bachelor's Chest
A small chest of drawers with a fold-over top supported on retractable slides.

Baluster
A short pillar or circular section with a turned profile, such as a table or chair leg. Also, denotes a shape, like a baluster-form vase.

Banding
Veneered borders about the perimeters of case furniture, doors, panels, table tops, etc.

Beading
A slender, semi-circular moulding usually
found on case furniture.

Bergere
A French name used to describe an upholstered armchair with closed, caned or upholstered, sides.

Biedermeier
A style of interior decoration and furniture which originated in Germany around 1815 and flourished throughout Europe until the middle of the 19th century. Based on French Empire forms, using indigenous fruitwoods and carved ebonized or gilt details on simplified surfaces.

Birdcage
A wooden mechanism fitted to the top of a tilt-top pedestal table which allows the top to be rotated.

Blind Fret
Carved and pierced ornament applied to the solid surface of furniture.

Boiserie
A French term for carved wooden panelling.

Boule, Andre Charles (1642-1732)
French cabinet maker under the patronage of Louis XIV. Noted for his extraordinary work at the Palace of Versailles. Advanced the art of inlaying brass into wood or tortoiseshell, hence the term "Buhl" work.

Bow Front
The convex shaped front of a piece of case furniture.

Bracket
A small ornamental wall shelf. Also, a supporting member between the leg and the body of a chair, table or chest.

Buffet
A sideboard or a dining room dresser of varying shapes with cupboards beneath a serving surface.

Bureau Plat
French term for a writing table.

Burl
Abnormal or diseased growths appearing on trees, often due to injury to the bark. Sliced in cross-sections for veneer exhibiting mottled or speckled patterns. Also refered to as Burr.

Cabochon
Carved oval convex ornament resembling a gem, common on French Rococo furniture.

Cabriole Leg
Based on the stylized hind leg of an animal, which curves outward at the top of the knee and tapers in an elongated 's' to the foot. The name derives from the root "capra," or goat, through the Spanish "cabriole."

Canterbury
A small stand with open divisions originally used to accommodate books or sheet music.

Capital
The head of a column or pilaster.

Cartouche
An ornamental device in the form of an oval tablet quartered with curled or scrolled edges.

Caryatid
A carved ornament in the form of a classical female used as a supporting feature. May be used on table legs, chair legs, and stands of cabinets.

Cassone
Italian chest with carved, painted, or inlaid decoration.

Casssapanca
Italian settee formed by adding a back
and arms to a cassone.

Cavetto
Concave moulding on cornices and pediments.

Chippendale, Thomas (1718-1779)
The most well known of English cabinetmakers whose style dominated mid-18th century British furniture design. Published his book "The Gentleman And Cabinetmaker's Director" in 1754.

Chiffonier
Anglicized from French for a small standing cupboard, usually with open shelves.

Chinoiserie
A generic term for Chinese ornamental motifs in painted, printed, inlaid, or applied objects or furniture.

Cloisonne
Technique of enamelling using fine pieces of metal soldered to a surface to divide one color
enamel from another.

Cockbead
Semi-circular moulding used on the perimeter of veneered drawer fronts.

Console Table
A table fixed to a wall and usually having a marble top.

Court Cupboard
A tiered open sideboard for the display of plate. Anglicized from the French word "court" for short.

Credenza
Italian sideboard or serving table usually
with canted corners.

Crossbanding
A border band of veneer in which the grain runs across the band.

Cricket Table
Term for a small, provincial three-legged table.

Crotch Veneer
Wood from the intersection of a tree branch with the trunk of the tree. This produces an unusual V-shaped figure when cut into veneers.

Davenport
A small kneehole writing desk popular in the early part of the 19th century. In America in the latter 19th century, the term was sometimes used for an upholstered sofa.

Deal
Pine or fir, often used for the carcass of case furniture to be veneered.

Dovetail
In furniture construction a wood joint with wedge-shaped projections which interlock with each other.

Drum Table
An English table of circular outline with drawers and usually on a tripod base. Also called a rent table.

Dumb Waiter
A movable stand with two or more graduated circular tiers supported on a three or four-legged base placed near the hostess¹s table for employment when the waiter departed.

Ebenist
French term for a cabinetmaker.

Ebonizing
Process of finishing wood to give the surface a finish resembling ebony.

Embossing
The raised pattern achieved on metal, leather, or cloth so that it stands out in relief.

En Suite
Something that is part of a series, such as matching side chairs, armchairs, and sofa.

Etagere
A what-not; a series of tiers supported by columns and used mainly for the display of curios.

Entasis
The slight swelling of a column at the middle designed to overcome the illusion of hollowness which appears in a straight column.

Escutcheon
A heraldic term for a coat of arms. In furniture it is a fitting over a keyhole or the backplate of a handle.

Faun
Mythological demi-god; half man and half goat.

Festoon
An ornament in the form of a series of garland loops or a chain of flowers.

Finial
A terminal ornament used for accentuating the ending of a structural feature.

Fluting
Channels or hollows cut vertically in columns, friezes, and legs, sometimes filled with brass or finished.

Foliate
Leaf-shaped ornamentation either cast,
carved, or painted.

Gadroon
A carved or cast border decoration of radiating convex lobes, either curved or straight.

Garde Du Vin
French term for a cellaret.

Gesso
A paste-like composition of gypsum with linseed oil and size. Used as a decorative base for gilding or painting.

Girandole
A wall-mounted candelabrum with one or more candle branches, of French inspiration, with a giltwood or gilt-metal frame about a mirror to reflect the light of the candle flame.

Gueridon
French term for a lamp stand or a small
circular tea table.

Guilloche
An ornamental moulding consisting of two interlaced bands forming a continuous figure-eight.

Harlequin Table
A table resembling a small pembroke or writing table in which the center part rises automatically when the leaves are raised, revealing compartments and fittings for toiletry articles and writing implements, designed by Sheraton.

Hepplewhite, George (died 1786)
Cabinetmaker and chairmaker, authored the "Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Guide."

Herringbone
Inlay in which the alternating slanting grain produces a chevron effect.

H-Stretcher
In chair or table construction, parallel stretchers from front to back legs are connected through the middle by a third member.

Hutch
From the French term huche, a chest. A food cupboard, either hanging or standing.

Imbrication
Decoration resembling fish scales.

Incised Lacquer
Decoration carved into lacquer which has been built up with different colored layers of lacquer.

Intaglio
A carved design cut into a surface.

Intarsia
Inlaid pictorial decoration, a mosaic in wood. The pattern is cut out of varying colored woods
and inset in panels.

Japanning
Imitation of Oriental lacquerwork from Japan and the Far East. A technique used in England from the late 17th century by using resins mixed with other materials, colored, polished, and gilded.

Joint Stool
Jacobean stool with turned legs, originally with mortise and tenon joints.

Kas
From the Dutch word kasse, a chest, or a large two-door cupboard or press. Typically residing on bun feet and painted.

Kauffmann, Angelica (1741-1807)
Swiss painter and decorative artist whose classical renderings appear as decoration on painted furniture of the last third of the 18th century.

Kettle Stand
Small table used to support a hot-water
kettle or tea urn.

Kingwood
Sometimes called violet wood, being dark purple in color, hard, and close grained, used for inlays and veneers in flat work.

Klismos
Chair made by the ancient Greeks having concave tapered legs and a curved back, revived by Thomas Hope during the Regency period.

Laburnum
A hardwood which is moderately durable, yellowish in color with brown streaks, and takes a high polish. It appears on veneered surfaces of furniture, most notably Early 18th century English case pieces where branches were cut transversely and matched to produce concentric designs known as 'Oystering.'

Lacquer
Of oriental origin, lacquer is a water resistant, clear, high dense finish achieved by padding-up and rubbing-down many coats of spirit shellac.

Lazy Susan
A late 18th century American version of the Englsh dumb waiter. A revolving circular tray for condiments which was placed at the center of the dining table.

Linenfold
A gothic ornamental panel treatment imitating folds of linen, popular in the early 16th century.

Loo Table
An oval or circular table designed for the old game Loo.

Lotus
An ancient flower ornament and the principal Egyptian floral motif.

Low Boy
English or American low chest or table with drawers.

Lunette
A semi-circular space or demi-lune shape filled with inlay, carving, or painting.

Marquetry
Decorative veneering employing contrasting and exotic woods. Pieces are cut and fitted together like a jigsaw which are then applied as panels of veneer.

Marquise Chair
French wide chair to accommodate two people.

Menuisier
French term for a cabinetmaker or joiner.

Meubles
French for movable furniture.

Mule Chest
Modern term for a late 17th and 18th century blanket chest with one or more drawers beneath the lid section.

Mullion
Glazing bars

Necking
A narrow moulding or collar around the upper
part of a column.

Needlepoint
Upholstery covering of woolen threads
embroidered on canvas.

Nulling
Carved ornamentation similar to gadrooning.

Oeben, Jean-Francois (died 1765)
French ebeniste and leading cabinetmaker of the Louis XV period.

Ogee
A classical double-curved moulding with convex above and concave below.

Ormolu
Gilt bronze or bronze dore for furniture mounts and decorative items such as candlesticks, clocks, etc.

Oyster Veneer
Dutch in origin, a form of veneering using the cross-sections of small branches of olivewood, laburnum, walnut, and other woods.

Pad Foot
A simple flat terminal to a cabriole leg.

Padouk
Vermillion or Andaman; a heavy wood from Burma having the texture and polish of rosewood.

Palisander
French name for rosewood, particularly from India

Palmette
A classical stylized palm leaf, often used with the lotus.

Panetiere
French Provincial bread box, often richly decorated.

Papier Mache
A material made from paper pulp, pressed and moulded into various shapes, lacquered, varnished, and embellished with painted ornament. Very popular in the mid 19th century.

Parcel-Gilt
Literally meaning something is partially gilded, originally refering to silver, but used also of furniture.

Parquetry
Decorative geometric inlay using contrasting woods.

Patera
A neoclassical motif, oval or round, often raised, resembling a rosette or flower.

Pembroke Table
A drop-leaf table supported on four legs, the leaves supported on hinged wooden brackets.

Pie Crust Table
A small table, usually round, with a raised edge resembling a pie-crust.

Pied-de-Biche
French for deer's foot.

Pilaster
Applied decorative flat-sided column.

Pole Screen
Small fire or draught screen adjustably mounted on an upright movable pole.

Quartered
Method of cutting a log into four quarters through the center, then into parallel boards to produce a grain having a cross section of the rays.

Quartetto
A nest of four tables fitting one beneath the other.

Quattrefoil
Stylized four-leaf clover.

Rail
A horizontal wood member in cabinet making.

Reeding
Two or more convex beeds set closely in parallel lines, the reverse of fluting, used on borders and edgings.

Refectory Table
A long and narrow table named after the refectory or dining room of monks during the middle ages.

Rocaille
An earlier term for rococo.

Rococo
Word derived from the French term rocaille, asymetrical forms elaborately ornamented with shells, 'c' scrolls, sinuous curves, and rockage.

Roundel
An ornamental disc, medallion, patera, etc.

Sabot
French term for the metal foot applied to a wooden leg.

Scagliola
Imitation marble composed of bits of marble, granite, alabaster, plaster-of-paris, and coloring. Popular in the 17th and 18th centuries for commodes and console table tops.

Secretaire a Abattant
A French fall-front writing desk.

Serpentine
A waving or undulating surface, such as a chest of drawers or the outline of a table top.

Serrated
A sawtooth or zigzag ornament of Gothic origin.

Settee
A long open and light seat for two or more, with low arms and back, sometimes upholstered.

Settle
A bench or seat for several people, of all wood construction, usually of oak, and sometimes with a hinged seat above a box.

Sewing Table
A small work table usually with a lidded top and drawers, fitted with spool racks and compartments for sewing implements, and a cloth bag for material.

Shellac
A resinous secretion which is produced on certain trees in the East Indies by an insect. This natural resin is soluble in alcohol and this mixture can be padded or brushed on a surface and dries quickly. This padding prodcues a high finish known as French Polish.

Sheraton, Thomas (1750 ­1806)
English cabinetmaker, published "The Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book" in 1790. His designs are straight and classical, after Hepplewhite and Adam.

Sideboard
Originally a very simple serving table. In the latter half of the 18th century the sideboard evolved as an essential piece of furniture in the dining room to accommodate plateware, silverware, linens, and the storage of wine.

Sirens
Mythological figures, half bird and half woman, used as a decorative motif in Renaissance furniture.

Socle
A plain block used a plinth or base of a piece of furniture also as a pedestal of a statue.

Sofa table
A long narrow table with drop leaves at the ends, similar to a Pembroke table, appearing in late Georgian and Regency work.

Spade Foot
A rectangular tapered foot resembling the outline of a spade, notable on Hepplewhite designs.

Sphinx
Egyptian mythical winged figure, half woman
and half lion.

Splat
The central vertical member in a chair back joining the back of the seat with the top rail.

Squab
The removable stuffed cushion of a chair.

Stile
The outside vertical member of a cabinet or door which frames a panel.

Stretcher
Part of the underframing of chairs and tables, cross pieces or rungs connecting the legs of furniture.

Stringing
Decorative narrow border inlays, usually in contrasting woods or metal.

Stumpwork
A form of embroidery, primarily 17th century English.

Table Chair
A small settee or armchair having a hinged table top at the back.

Tabouret
A low upholstered footstool.

Tambour
Sliding doors or curved pull-down fronts made from thin strips of wood glued side by side to a canvas backing.

Tea Caddy
Originally porcelain jars imported from China used as receptacles for tea. Later Georgian and Regency examples made from exotic woods and tortoiseshell with silver mounts.

Terms
A pedestal or plinth, usually tapering, sculpted with a bust, and used as a decorative ornament.

Tole/Tole Peinte
Decorative painted tin, particularly small articles, trays and accessories.

Toleware
An American term for tinware and tinplate.

Torchere
A stand for holding lights.

Treenware
A term used for small articles and utensils of domestic use made from wood.

Trumeau
An overmantel mirror with attached painting above popular during the Louis XV and Louis XVI periods.

Underframing
The framework that supports a table top, a cabinet, or a chair.

Uprights
The vertical timber members of a chair back which are continuous with the legs.

Valance
The top or horizontal section of a drapery arrangement.

Vargueno
Spanish cabinet desk with a fall-front, usually resting on a stand, made from the 15th through the 19th century.

Varnish
A clear oil or spirit based finish applied by brush or spray to protect and beautify wood surfaces.

Vernis Martin
A translucent lacquer technique invented by the French Martin brothers during the early part of the 18th century.

Verre Eglomise
A technique of painting glass on the underside and backing it with gold or silver metallic foil, often found on mirrors.

Volute
The spiral or helix-like ornamental scroll on either side of the capital in the Ionic order of architecture, also a decorative motif of a stylized leaves curling inward.

Wardrobe
A large cupboard or cabinet for hanging clothes.

Wave Scroll
A continuous spiral decoration, also a Vitruvian scroll.

What Not
A tier of shelves supported by turned posts used to display curios.

Wine Cooler
A metal lined wooden vessel for wine service.

Wing Bookcase
A breakfront, the sides of receding proportions suggesting wings

Zebrawood
A decorative wood from Brazil, of reddish-brown color, barred with dark stripes, also known as Tigerwood.