Bridal Chest

See Cassone.

Broken, Block, Or Interrupted

Terms applied when a change of direction is made in the outline of a piece of furniture or moulding. Thus the rectangular or segmental notch at the corner of a piece of furniture is called a broken or block corner. In the case of a panel a block may occur in the middle of the top, bottom, or sides of the moulding instead of the corners. Blocks are of frequent occurrence in the "applied mouldings" so popular in the latter part of the eighteenth century.

Broken Front

The front of a piece of furniture made in different planes. In the case of a long bookcase, for example, the centre section is often made to project beyond the side sections, partly to give variety to the design and partly to allow more space for larger books.

Broken Pediment

A pediment interrupted in the centre. See Pediment and Swan-Neck Pediment.

Brushing Slide

A pull-out slide fixed at a convenient height on chests of drawers, etc., to form a temporary table on which to brush clothes or for other purposes.

Buffet

A form of side-table, sometimes with cupboards or shelves from which the sideboard was developed in the eighteenth century. It is mentioned in France in the fourteenth century, and in various forms it became popular throughout Europe in the late sixteenth century, but lost its popularity in England towards the end of the seventeenth. The finer examples are supported by elaborately carved bulbous columns, the broad edges of the shelves carved with strap-work and other motives. Sometimes the buffet consisted of a chest mounted on a stand, and when in that form it was called a standing buffet. See Court-Cupboard and Credence.

Buhl

See Boulle.

Bulbous

The term applied to the turned legs of tables, bed-posts, etc., with bulb-like features, often of enormous size and richly carved, which were very popular in the Tudor and early Jacobean periods.

Bun Foot

In shape like a flattened globe, it was in common use in the second part of the seventeenth century, and was probably introduced into England through Dutch influence.

Bureau

A covered writing-table usually furnished with pigeon-holes and other conveniences and a dropdown front with drawers under. It was a development of the portable writing-desks of the seventeenth century and first appeared at the end of that century as a secretaire or chest of drawers with the top drawers made to pull out, the fronts of which were hinged and provided with quadrants. The slant top followed in the early years of Queen Anne and afterwards the roll or tambour top introduced from France. Bureaux rapidly developed into very important pieces of furniture and were often beautifully decorated with carving, marquetry, metal mounts, etc. Nothing in England was produced to compare with the Bureau du Roi, the most famous of all pieces of furniture, the masterpiece of Riesener finished in 1769 and now in the Louvre. A copy is in the Wallace Collection.