Antique Furniture Terms and Cabinetmakers
To go to any term on this page: Bachelor's Chest A small low chest with drawers for the storage of clothing, popular among single men in the 18th Century in England. Usually with a pull out tray for pressing of clothes. Backsplat A slat of wood in the middle of a chair back. Bail Reverse arch handle or drawer pull, which hangs down from pins attached to a back plate. Usually made of metal. Ball Foot A turned foot shaped like a ball. Usually quite large in diameter, and found on early styles of chests and chests-of-drawers. Ball-And-Claw Foot A form of ornamental carved foot depicting a talon, grasping a ball. Originating in China, it is found mostly on Chippendale designs. Balloon Shade A poufed fabric shade, which forms billowy, folds when raised. Balloon-Back Chair A chair style characterized by an open hoop-style back and transverse splat. The top rounded so as to be continuous with incurved uprights and thus assuming a roughly balloon-shape outline. Developed by Hepplewhite . Bamboo Bamboo, which is a type of grass, not a tree, is used for furniture in the East, and came to the Occident in waves of Chinese influence. In the 18th Century it was so important that the characteristic appearance of the bamboo was simulated in the woodturnings in England and America. Banding Narrow inlay or marquetry of a color or grain, which contrasts with the surface it decorates used as a narrow edging or border of veneer. A contrasting band of inlay. Also refers to other long, narrow ornamentation (painting, carving, etc.). Banquette Long upholstered seat or bench, often built-in. Bar-back Chair A side or armchair having a square back with carved and reeded spindles and turned and reeded supports. Made in the early 19th Century by Ephraim Haines and Henry Connelly in Philadelphia . Barleytwist A wooden detail on furniture, created by turning. The end result is a spiral or twisted effect. Often used as a support on Victorian and Edwardian furniture. Baroque From Spanish 'barrueco', an irregularly shaped pearl. Both a style and a period of the 16th to the mid-18th Century, marked by exaggerated scale, curves, and movement. Usually including Jacobean and William and Mary Styles. The style started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. Bas Relief Ornamental carving which projects slightly from background. Another name for low relief. Contrast Haut Relief. Batten Strips of wood used as a brace across one or more boards. Bead A narrow half-round convex molding whose surface is either flush with the adjacent surface or raised above it. Bead And Reel A carved molding of Classical origin, in which the ordinary bead is interrupted at regular intervals. Bed-Bolt Cover A small brass ornament used to cover the head of a bed bolt. Bellflower A floral ornament, carved or inlaid, with bodies of three or five pointed, narrow petals. Belter, John Henry John Henry Belter (1804-63). German born American furniture maker and cabinetmaker that designed in the very flowery Neorococo style. Bennett, Ward Ward Bennett (born 1917). American interior, furniture and textile designer and sculptor credited as the originator of the high tech interior style, conversation pit, sunken living room, and U-shaped sofa. Bentwood Furniture created by steaming wood and bending it while pliable. Bergere Comfortable upholstered French armchair with exposed wood frame, closed back and sides, wide proportions and squab cushions. Popular in the Louis XIV and Louis XV periods. Bertoia, Harry Harry Bertoia (1915-78). American furniture designer and sculptor known for his Bertoia, or shell, chair. Bevel A sloping edge planed or chiseled on the edge of any surface. Biedermeier Rustic German version of the French Empire style. The name derives from Papa Biedermeier, a popular comic character of the time and a symbol of homey comfort. Birdseye Mottled wood grain whose pattern suggests a bird's eye mainly seen in maple. Biscuit Tufting See Tufting. Blanket Chest Low storage chest with a hinged lid and (often) a lower drawer. Frequently doubles as a bench. Block Foot A square vertical foot at the base of a straight leg. Block Front Term for the unique type of construction seen in fronts of Early American chests of drawers and chest-on-chests. Consists of three vertical segments with a concave recession at the center, flanked by two flattened, convex swells on the ends. Bombe An outward swelling kettle base (swelling or bulging front and/or sides) construction for chests of drawers and secretaries, found on the Chippendale and Louis XV styles, as well as some American Late Colonial. Bonnet Top When the broken pediment of tall case furniture (such as a highboy or secretary) covers the entire top from front to back, it is termed a bonnet top. Sometimes called a Hood or a Hooded Top. Bookcase Headboard A headboard with built-in storage for books, radios, reading lights, etc. A modern innovation, which is sometimes given period interpretations. Boss Round or oval ornament, often painted black, patterned on Gothic decoration. Common in 17th Century English and American work, particularly on chests. Boston Rocker A generous sized 19th Century American wooden rocker with curved seat, delicate spindle back and wide scrolled top rail. Developed from the Windsor chair and introduced in America about 1835. Often painted or stenciled. Boulle, Andre-Charles André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732). Most recognized French furniture maker and designer of the Louis XIV period. His designs were known for their massive size, brass and tortoiseshell ornament, and costly extravagance. Boulle work After André-Charles Boulle , famous French furniture maker of Louis XIV's reign. Sumptuous furniture style with tortoiseshell or brass marquetry, known as Boulle work. Bow Back Windsor chair back in which the bow, or hoop, is continuous either down to the arms or the seat. Bow Front Convex front of a chest, buffet, etc. Characteristic of 18th Century work. Also called a swell front. Box Edge See Knife Edge. Bracket Foot Simple base on 18th Century chests and case furniture, in which the foot runs two ways from the corner. Although usually simple in design, the style is sometimes highly ornamented. Bradford Chair An American colonial style chair from the 17th Century with large turned posts and spindles. Similar to the Brewster chair. Branching Scroll See Rinceau. Breakfront A bookcase or china cabinet with a center section projecting forward beyond two end sections, usually surmounted by a pediment. In bookcases, the lower part of the center section often has a desk. Brewster Chair An American colonial style chair from the 17th Century with large turned posts and spindles. Similar to the Bradford chair. British Colonial Style developed by British colonists in the West Indies during the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. Simply designed and reminiscent of late Georgian work, it exhibits local influences in planning and materials. Brocades A woven fabric with a raised pattern that resembles embroidery. Broken Pediment A straight, swan neck or gooseneck pediment whose side lines or scrolls do not meet at the apex. The pediment is interrupted or "broken" by an opening that highlights a carved detail such as an urn or a flame. Buffet French term referring to a sideboard (usually the bottom part of a china cabinet) used to store china, silver, and linens. The top surface used as a counter in self-service informal dining having no hutch or storage cabinet on top. Buffing A mechanical process which removes scars and scratches from wood or leather. Bun Foot Foot shaped like a slightly flattened ball, or bun, with a slender ankle above. Dutch in origin, popular in the William and Mary period. Bunk Bed Twin beds mounted one above the other sometimes detachable for use separately. Bureau Originally a writing desk or table with drawers. Now a low chest of drawers, generally with a mirror, used in a bedroom used to store clothing. Burl Wood cut from a domelike knot on a tree; often beautifully marked and saved for use in special veneers. Term also refers to the veneer created from this wood. Butler's Tray Table A tray with four, flip-up handholds that can be removed from the table legs on which it stands. An oval tabletop is created when the sides are down. Butt Hinge A square or rectangular hinge of brass or iron, whose two halves are connected by a pin. Butt Joint A joint on which the squared end of one member is butted against the side or the end of another member. Butterfly Hinge A hinge made of iron and resembling a butterfly. Found on Early American furniture. Butterfly Table A small Early American drop-leaf table whose leaves are supported by swinging brackets suggestive of butterfly wings. Opens into a narrow oval shape. Butterfly Wedge Cleat, shaped like wings of a butterfly, used to fasten to fasten adjoining boards. To go to any term starting with: |