Furniture Terms A to M

ACANTHUS LEAF Popular Greek decorative motif adapted from the acanthus plant. Found in almost all-classic design, notably the capital of the Corinthian column. ACORN TURNING Knob, pendant or foot shaped like an acorn, popular in the Jacobean period. ADELPHI (Greek brother) Trademark of the 18th century furniture designer brothers namedAMORINI Cupid ornaments on Italian Renaissance furniture. ANTHEMION Conventionalized honeysuckle design from a classic Greek decorative motif. (Any conventional flower or leaf design.) APRON Strip of wood adjoining the base of cabinets, seats and table tops extending between tops of legs or bracket feet. ARABESQUE Decorative scrollwork or other rather intricate ornament employing foliage, vases, leaves and fruits, or fantastic animal and human figures. Arabesque won its highest triumph in the Loggia of the Vatican. ARCADE A series of arches, with supporting columns or piers. ARCHITRAVE In a classical building, the beam resting directly on the tops of the columns.ARMOIRE A large movable cupboard or wardrobe, with doors and shelves for storing clothes or other large items. Also called wardrobes. ASTRAGAL A small convex beaded molding usually placed at the junction of a piece of glass and a door. BAGUETTE A small, convex molding with semicircular contours. BAIL Half-loop metal pull, hanging from metal bolts. First used in America about 1700. BALL FOOT End of a turned leg, shaped round and with a hooded effect. BALLOON BACK Chair style developed by Hepplewhite early in his career. BALUSTER A turned, supporting column, generally slender, used as a pillar. BANDING Inlay or marquetry which produces a color or grain contrasting with the surface it decorates. BANISTER-BACK CHAIR Generally maple, often ebonized with vertical split-banisters in the back. Widely used in rural America from 1700 until the end of the century. BAROQUE The Italian equivalent of French rococo. Irregularly shaped, overly fantastic design. Used as a general term to denote a style of furniture gemon in the early 18th century. The word gees from a 16th century Italian architect who was called Barrochio. BAS-RELIEF Sculpture or carving whose figures project only slightly from the background.BEAU BRUMMEL Georgian dressing table for men, named after an English fashion arbiter. BEDSIDE CHEST A small bed-high chest with drawers. BELL FLOWER Conventionalized hanging flower-bud of three, sometimes five, petals carved or, more often inlaid one below the other in strings. BERGERE gefortable French arm chair with upholstered back and sides and squab cushions. Popular in Louis XIV and Louis XV periods. BIBLIOTHEQUE-BASSE A low cupboard fitted with shelves for books and doors often of glass but sometimes fitted with grilles. BIRD'S-EYE A marking of small spots often found in certain wood. Used and much prized from the earliest to present times. BLANKET CHEST Colonial storage chest often used as a bench. BLOCK FOOT Square, vertical foot at base of any straight, untapered leg. BLOCK FRONT A chest geposed of a concave center panel flanked by two convex panels. BOISERIE Carved panels used on French pieces of the Ilth century. BOMBE (French) An outward swelling on the furniture. Applies to gemodes, bureaus, armoires. BONHEUR-DU-JOUR A small writing table usually on tall legs and sometimes fitted to hold toilet accessories and bibelots. BONNET TOP When the broken-arch pediment of tall case-furniture covers the entire top from front to back, this hood is called a bonnet top. BOSS A circular or oval protuberance for a surface ornament. BOSTON ROCKER An American rocker (19th century) with curved seat, spindle back, and a wide top rail. BOULLE Celebrated designer of the Louis XIV period noted for his inlay of metals and tortoise shell. Boullework is a descriptive phrase. BOWBACK One of the types of Windsor chairs popular in America in the 18th century. BOW FRONT A front that curves outward to appear convex. BRACKET FOOT Low foot on case goods. Runs both ways from corner, forming a right angle. BREAK FRONT A bookcase or china cabinet made of three sections, the center one projecting forward beyond the two end sections. In bookcases, the lower part of the center section sometimes has a desk. BREWSTER CHAIR Wooden chair with large turned posts and spindles. BUN FOOT A flattened ball, or bun shape, with a slender ankle above. Popular in William and Mary period. BUREAU The French word (from the Latin, burras, red) originally designated as a red cloth covering for writing desks. Later the desk itself. In America the name designates the gemonly known dresser. BURL A tree knot or protruding growth which shows beautifully patterned graining when sliced. Used for inlay or veneer. BUTTERFLY TABLE Small folding table with splayed legs, generally turned. The top has wing brackets underneath to support drop-leaf wings on either side. BYZANTINE CHAIR A three cornered chair originated in the Orient and later used in Italy. CABINET Originally a glass fronted cabinet intended for the display of objects d'art.CABLE A molding design resembling intertwined rape. CABRIOLE A type of leg which swells outward at the knee and inward at the ankle. CAMELBACK A sofa back of irregular, curved shape characterized by a large central hump. CANDLESTAND A small (usually pedestal) and lightweight table with a round top built to chair height. Once used as a portable surface for candles.