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Crosskeys Antiques
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
* Please note, our Glossary of
Terms is still under construction, please check back frequently*
Also see our "Guide
to Materials and Manufacturing Mediums Used for Antique Reproductions"
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ACANTHUS
Conventionalized leaf of a plant growing in Asia
Minor. It is found as the basis of all foliage ornamentation in Classic Greek and Roman decoration.
Romanesque and Byzantine Acanthus were stiff and
spiny. The Renaissance revived its use in graceful
designs for every purpose.
Every succeeding style
has used the Acanthus in an exuberant or restrained
manner according to its type.
ADAM, ROBERT
A Scottish Architect and Furniture Designer who, with his brother James, revived classical
ornamentation and design in a style that bears their name, active (1773-1795),
English.
AFFLECK, THOMAS
A leading American cabinetmaker. Born in Scotland,
he emigrated in 1763 and settled in Philadelphia,
where he became an outstanding exponent of the
American Chippendale style. He was more restrained
and less Rococo than his contemporary, Benjamin
Randolph. He continued making Chippendale style
furniture into the Federal period. Cabinetmaker in
Colonial America; active (1773-1795). Originally
English.
AMORINI
Carved figures of boys, particularly used on furniture
of the 17th century and later.
AMPHORA
Classical two-handled jar for transporting wine or oil,
revived in the 18th century as a decorative
motif in
the repertoire of neoclassical design.
ANTHEMION
Stylized flower motif based on honeysuckle pattern
conventionalized to radiating cluster, and derived from
a classical Greek ornament. Used in the 18th and 19th
centuries on furniture, silverware and in decoration.
ANTIQUING
The process of treating wood or finish on furniture
and other decorative objects to make it look old.
Wood may be simply worn off at the edges and corners; it is sometimes scratched, gouged, planed, etc.
(Called "distressed finishes"). Even fine birdshot
and nails are used to simulate wormholes and other
ravages of time. Wood is also subjected to various
acid treatments, bleaches and stains to suggest age.
Paint finishes are glazed with washes of dirt colors to
reduce the brilliance and to provide an uneven surface.
APPLIED ORNAMENT
Carved or shaped decoration, usually wood or metal,
glued or nailed to furniture; appears on elegant
Chippendale pieces and a succession of 19th century
styles.
APPLIQUÉ
Applied ornament.
APRON
A structural element of furniture. In tables, the piece
connecting the legs, just under the top; in chairs,
beneath the seat; in cabinets, etc, along the base.
Sometimes called" skirt".
ARABESQUE
Painted, inlaid or flat carved designs composed of floral and geometrical scrolls, human,
animal or mythological forms, etc. Usually framed within a simple
shape such as a rectangle.
ARCADE
In furniture, a carved decoration representing a series
of arches; also, a chair back in this form.
ARM PAD
The upholstered part of a chair arm.
ARMOIRE
A tall cupboard or wardrobe with doors is often
known as an armoire. Gothic style armoires are massive in size
and are decorated with elaborate iron
hinges and locks. It is thought that early armoires
were painted and used for the storage of armor.
ARROW
Decorative theme used in revivals of classic styles.
Renaissance and later, especially Directoire, Empire
and Biedermeier.
ART DECO
Decorative style originating in France in the 1920s,
characterized by geometric shapes, stylized ornament,
and fine traditional craftsmanship.
Popularized in America in the 1920s and 1930s. The
streamlined 1930s version is often called Art
Moderne.
ART MODERNE
French term for he various schools of contemporary
design, affectedly used
in America during the 1920s
to label the earliest modern work.
ART NOUVEAU
A revived interest in the decorative arts flowed over
Europe about 1875, giving rise to a concerted
rebellion, against the stale eclecticism of the time. A conscious effort to create along new lines inspired this
"New Art". It drew on various motifs
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Gothic and
Japanese to create a new vocabulary based on natural
forms. The typical line is long and slightly curved,
ending abruptly in a whip-like sharp curve.
ASH WOOD
A family of trees, the woods of many of which is used
for furniture. The European ash belongs to a group
that includes olive, lilac, privet, and jasmine. The
olive ash burls of both England and France are
exquisitely figured, and capable of beautiful veneer
matching. The color varies from a light honey to a
medium brown. The American ashes are used principally as lumber where great strength is required, as in
upholstery frames. The wood is a very light creamy
color, heavy and dense, with a prominent grain
resembling oak. It was used for some turnings and
bent work in very early Windsor chairs.
ASTRAGAL
Small half-round or convex bead molding; molding
on overlapping doors.
ATLANTES
Supporting columns in the shape of male figures.
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