Almery

V. p. 47.

Apron

A narrow strip of wood, adjoining the base of cabinet carcases and extending between the tops of the legs or feet brackets. The lower edge may be either straight or shaped.

Arm Support

The vertical or curved upright supporting the front end of chair arms. Either an extension of the fore leg or a separate piece rising from the seatrail.

Astragal

A small convex beaded moulding.

Bail Handle

A metal or wood handle curved upward at the ends, depending from the sockets.

Baluster

A small, slender turned column, usually swelled outward at some point between base and top.

Banding

An inlay or marqueterie device which gives a contrast either in colour or in grain between the band and the surface of the wood it is intended to decorate.

Baroque

An architectural style of Italian origin characterised by conspicuous curves, scrolls and highly ornate decoration.

Bead

A small moulding of nearly semi-circular section, occurring either flush with the adjacent surface or raised above it.

Bilsted

The wood of the sweet gum or liquidambar. Sometimes used in America in latter part of eighteenth century as a substitute for mahogany.

Block Foot

A square, vertical-sided foot at base of straight, untapered leg.

Block Front

A sort of cabinetwork in which drawer fronts and doors display swelling projections instead of panels, the "block" and the surrounding lower parts being cut from one solid piece of wood.

Bombe

Outward swelling, curving or bulging. Applied to furniture with bulging contour.

Boss

A circular or oval protuberance for surface ornament. Bow Top. A chair whose toprail shows one low, unbroken curve across its whole width.

Broken Corner

A corner cut away at right angles from the convergent sides.

Bun Foot

A flattened globe or bun-shaped foot with slender ancle above.

Cabochon

A plain round or oval surface, convex or concave, enclosed within ornamentation.

Cabriole

A leap, a springing curve. Term applied to legs that swell outward at the upper part or knee and inward at the lower part or ancle.

Carcase

The body of joinery or cabinetwork.

Cartouche

An ornamental form of irregular shape enclosing a plain central surface often used as a field for painted devices or inscriptions.

Chamfer

A bevelled cutting away of a corner angle.

Channelling

V. p. 62.

Cockbeading

A narrow raised beading used as a surround for drawer edges.

"Collared Toe." The base of a table or chair leg with an ornamental band.

Court Cupboard

V. p. 47.

Cresting

Ornamental topping, usually of a chair or settee back.

Crossrail

The horizontal bar or splat in a chair back.

"Cupid's Bow." A variety of compound or serpentine curve much used in the toprails of Chippendale chairs.

Cyma Curve

A wave curve, a double or compound curve, v. p. 103.

Dentil

A form of moulding ornamentation made by small oblong blocks set at equal distances from each other.

Diaperwork

A method of surface decoration consisting of a design made up of regular repeats.

Dipped Seat

V. Dropped Seat.

Dished Corner

A table corner slightly hollowed out to hold a candlestick.

"Dog Ear." A projecting rectangular ornament at the heads of door frames, mirror frames and panelling. Much used in early Georgian times.

Dowel

A wooden pin fastening two pieces of chair or cabinetwork together.

Dropped Seat

A seat concaved so that the middle and front are lower than the sides.

Evolute

A recurrent wave motif for frieze or band decoration.

Feather-edging

A feather pattern of veneer or marqueterie banding.

Finial

A decorative finishing device for corners or any sort of projecting upright.

Flemish Scroll

A Baroque form with the curve broken by an angle.

Fluting

Channelling or grooving on a pillar or flat surface.

Fret

Interlaced ornamental work sometimes applied on a solid background, sometimes perforated.

Gadroon

A carved and curved fluted or ruffle ornament for edges.

Gallery

A raised rim of fretwork or metal bar surrounding table tops or a metal bar at the back of sideboard tops.

Girandole

A candle branch usually attached to a mirror.

Gros Point

A kind of embroidery used for chair and settee covers.

Gueridon

A small round stand, usually for candles.

Guilloche

V. p. 62. Hood. A shaped top to cabinetwork.

Hoop Back

A back whose uprights and toprail continue in one unbroken line of several curves.

Husk

A form of ornament taken from nature, generally used in pendent manner.

Hutch

A sort of chest with doors in front.

Joint Stool, Joined, "Joyned." A joined or joinery stool.

Japanning

In earlier parlance synonymous with lacquering. Later merely a coating with paint preparatory to decoration.

Kettle Front

A swelling or bulging front of earlier date and sharper curves than a bombe front.

Knee

The uppermost curve of a cabriole leg where it is thickest.

Ladderback

A back in which horizontal crossrails are used instead of a vertical splat.

Laurelling

V. p. 63.

Livery Cupboard

V. p. 46.

Lozenge

A diamond-shaped decorative motif.

Lunette

A half round or half-mobn-shaped motif.

"Marsh." A rush or reed floor covering.

Masque

A full face, human, animal or grotesque, used without the rest of the body as a form of ornament.

Mortise

A hole cut in a piece of wood to receive a tenon.

Mounts

The handles, keyplates, escutcheons and any ornamental metalwork.

Nulling

V. p. 63.

Ogee

A form made by two opposite cyma curves with their convex sides meeting in a point, v. p. 103.

Ormolu

A material for elaborate metal mounts made of a copper and zinc alloy resembling gold.

Ovolo Moulding

A moulding in which the chief member is of oval contour, often convex.

Oystering

Veneer made from cross-sections of small branches showing cross-sectional grain in irregular concentric rings.

Patera

A small disk, oval, round or square as a base for ornamental detail.

Patina

The surface or finish resulting from wear or polishing.

Pediment

An architectural cresting for large cabinetwork, either triangular or segmental or scrolled.

Pendant

A hanging ornament.

Petit Point

A kind of embroidery used for covering chairs and settees.

Pilaster

A portion of a pillar set flush against its background.

Plinth

The projecting base of a pillar or piece of cabinetwork.

Quatrefoil

Conventional adaptation of four-leaved clover.

Rail

A horizontal member of the frame of cabinetwork or panelling.

Rake

The angle or slant of a chair or settee back.

Recessed Stretcher

Front stretcher set back between the two side stretchers.

Reeding

V. p. 62.

Ribband Back

A back with ribbon motif ornament.

Rising Stretcher

A stretcher rising in a curve between the legs it braces.

Rococo

An elaborate form of ornamentation full of curves and employing rocks, shells and other rustic details conventionalised.

"Romayne Work." A sort of ornamentation using human heads upon roundels or medallions.

Roundel

A small circular ground for ornamentation.

Saltire

An arrangement of stretchers, etc., in X-form.

Seatrails

The frame on which the seat is built.

Serpentine Front

A front shaped with waving or serpentine curve.

Sideboard Table

Side table used before the sideboard was developed.

Skirt

V. Apron.

Spade Foot

A four-sided foot tapering to base.

Spandrel

The approximately triangular space between the outer curve of an arch, the horizontal line from its apex and the vertical line from its spring.

Spindle

A slender turned vertical baluster or rod.

Spiral Turning

A twisted form of turning for legs.

Splat

The central member of a chairback.

Spooning

The shaping of a chairback to fit the contour of the occupant.

Squab

A loose cushion.

Stiles

The vertical members of frame of cabinetwork or panelling.

Stitched-up Seat

V. p. 159.

Straining

Gluing a fabric tight over woodwork.

Strapwork

V. p. 60.

Stretcher

The bracing between legs.

"Sunk Top." V. p. 166.

Swag

A festoon of drapery, leaves or flowers.

Swell Front

A convexly curved front.

Tambourwork

Small sections of wood glued on a flexible backing.

Tenon

A projection cut at the end of one piece of wood to fit into the corresponding hole or mortise in the piece to which it is to be fastened.

Terminal Figure

A conventionalised human bust on a pedestal.

Tester

The upper or canopy part of a high-post bedstead.

Toprail

The top member of a chairback.

Torus

A bold convex cushion-like moulding of semi-circular or elliptical profile.

Turkeywork

A form of embroidery popular in seventeenth century.

Upright

Extension of back leg supporting chairback.

Veneer

A thin coating of ornamental wood showing rich grain overlaid upon a body of plain, solid wood.

Vernis-Martin

A form of fine lacquer varnish made by the French coach painter Martin.

Wainscot

Boards used for panel work. Panel work itself.