» Antiques  

Antique Glossary


Search By Alphabetic Order
All|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|

Glassware imitating Venetian styles.

Tin-glazed earthenware from France.

The front or flap of a cabinet, secretaire or bureau , hinged at the bottom edge so it forms a horizontal surface when lowered, almost always as a writing surface. It can be either vertical or sloped, and will almost always supported by a loper , or a quadrant stay .

A country table with a solid top and no drop leaves, usually rectangular in shape.

The style period from 1790-1830. Specific to American furniture and architecture. Derived from Hepplewhite and Sheraton and, towards the end of the period, from French empire .

A Garland or Swag of flowers and foliage, or perhaps a ribbon, suspended from the ends; not to be confused with a chain , which often hangs from each end of a festoon. From the Baroque style, it resembles a hammock.

A wooden panel used in a framework or door. It consists of a panel with a raised central area made with a wide chamfered or bevelled rebate worked around the edges. Often a small moulding is worked at the inner side of the rebate .

Put simply, just a thin strip of wood, but it can also be a narrow flat band or moulding which is placed between two larger mouldings or flutes .

Also known as a knuckle joint, this is a wooden hinge (with a metal pintle) used in the supporting mechanism such as the fly-bracket of a drop-leaf or folding table or the swing leg of a gateleg or card table .

A knob or spire-like ornamental projection finishing off an upright member, pediment or any vertical projection. Commonly carved in a number of forms, from architectural forms like columns, to animals and human figures, When found on furniture, it's basically a small, turned projection. A downward-pointing finial is called a pendant (See drop-finial ). It's also a term applied to silver spoons, when it describes the turning or pattern found at the opposite end of the shaft (or handle) to the bowl.

An assymetrical serving utensil with a wide, flat blade, usually pierced and decorated, using for serving fish at the table.

See drop leaf table .

The outward, concave curve of a leg etc.

Ceramic portrait figures with flat, undecorated backs, designed to stand against a wall or on a mantelpiece.

Any flat or shallow tableware, such as plates or cutlery.

Transferware produced in numerous patterns in which the cobalt blue ink flowed, or smeared, during firing. The resulting out-of-focus look was colorful and popular, and flow blue was widely produced in England and the Netherlands from 1830 to 1900. Its popularity was welcomed by the manufacturers, because the flowing disguised the smudges that were made if the transfer was moved slightly as it was laid on the item: this enabled them to deskill the decorating process even more, and thus to pay even lower wages to the women and girls who did the job.

Repeated and close-set half-round and vertically-running concave grooves found particularly on columns, but also pilasters , decorative panels.

A small, shaped and hinged bracket, usually incorporating a finger joint and always mounted vertically, used to support a flap of a table etc.

A bed with four tall corner posts, that may, or may not, support a tester.

See Outscrolled foot .

Pierced (Open fret) or applied (Blind fret) is an intricate form of decoration, usually done in plywood for strength. Frequently done in intricate patterns, which are often based on Chinoiserie and Gothic designs.

A horizontal flat band, often decorated either by painting, or carved or sculpted. When convex, it's known as a Pulvinated frieze. The term also applies to the surface (framing) just beneath the top of a table such as a table, or the base of a chest of drawers.

Find