Cassolet Or Cassolette

A small box of various shapes for holding or burning perfumes. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries these boxes were often made of Battersea enamel, which was famous in this period.

Cassone (Ital.)

A large chest used for holding a bride's trousseau, sometimes very elaborately decorated with carving, painting and gilding. See Chest.

Castors

The small wheels attached to the feet of chairs and other articles of furniture. In the time of Queen Anne the wheels were made of leather; brass was substituted towards the end of the eighteenth century.

Catherine Of Braganza (1638-1705)

Wife of Charles II. In the history of furniture her name takes an important place, since she brought from Portugal Oriental ideas and a taste for sumptuous furniture and decoration which quickly spread in England.

Causeuse

An arm-chair with open sides, the back and seat of which were often covered with Beauvais tapestry.

Cavetto

A concave quarter-circle moulding, chiefly found on the cornices of tall pieces of furniture. In Greek work the curve was founded on a conic section.

Cedar

A tree introduced into England in the seventeenth century. It has a lasting aromatic perfume and has been used to some small extent for furniture and more extensively for panelling, caskets and small boxes ; the inferior West Indian variety was often employed for the linings of wardrobes and the sides of drawers. It was a favourite wood among the Egyptians and in ancient Rome.

Cellaret, Garde Du Vin, Or Sarcophagus

In the time of the Brothers Adam vessels sometimes with lids, or tubs bound with brass bands, forming wine coolers, were made to place under side-tables flanked by pedestals, which then served the same purpose as the sideboard of a little later date. The term "cellaret" is also applied to the drawer of a sideboard fitted inside with divisions and lined with lead to hold bottles or decanters.

Certosina Work

A special kind of inlay of Oriental character consisting of a groundwork of cypress, ebony or walnut inlaid with ivory. It derived its name from the Carthusian Monastery of Certosa, near Milan, where it was first made and used in the choir stalls.

Herbert Cescinsky

A well-known expert on furniture, author of a standard work, "English Furniture of the Eighteenth Century," in three volumes, and many other books and magazine articles on furniture, woodwork and decoration.

Chair-Back

High backs were in general use in England until the reign of Queen Anne; low backs made their appearance during the Commonwealth and gradually became the accepted form. During the Restoration period the back was spooned to fit the sitter's back, and cane backs were fashionable. The shape of the back and the treatment of its parts are, generally speaking, sure guides to the period to which the chair belongs. The following are some of the principal shapes or features : Balloon, baluster, bow, cane, cupid's bow, fretwork, fiddle-back, Gothic tracery, heart, hoop, hood, honeysuckle, ladder-back, lyre, oval, panel or wainscot, Prince of Wales's feathers, ribbon, square, shield, vase, wheel and wheatear. (See under the respective headings.)