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From the mineral gypsum, typically white or grey and slightly translucent. Often used in decorative items and sculpture.
A style of wardrobe typically from France.
A foot carved in the shape of an animal or bird’s claw holding a ball.
A simple ball-shaped foot on furniture, popular in the 17th century for tables or cabinets.
A turned or carved upright post, pillar, or column. Often used to support the cornice in cabinet furniture, stems of tripod table bases, and chair back-splats.
Bombe means “curving outward”, “bulging”, or “bombe-shaped”. A French term used to describe pieces that feature an outward swelling curve at the front.
Thomas Chippendale was a leading Rococo / mid-18th-century English Furniture designer and maker. His pattern book became a global benchmark of fashionable furniture.
A low chest of drawers and later, a term for bedroom cupboards to store the porcelain potty. The commode was also used in library steps and other pieces of antique furniture.
A sideboard that is usually very elaborate with a mirror back.
A leaf that is hinged to the side of a table, which drops at the side when not in use.
A dark stain is used on wood to make it look like ebony.
A decoration formed by making parallel, concave grooves usually seen on column shafts and running in a vertical direction.
The edge below the top of a piece of furniture. It can be plain or carved with fretwork.
An ornamental metal or wood railing around the edge of a piece of furniture.
Material applied to carved furniture as the base for painting or, predominantly, gilding. In use from the Middle Ages, it is a mixture of gypsum, sizing, glue, and oils.
A thin layer of gold applied to wood or metal, then burnished to create a lustrous finish. Applied as gold leaf with water onto gesso, oil directly onto wood, and mercury onto metal.
A decorative design or pattern that is created by embedding pieces of one material into another, often with contrasting woods, ivory and mother of pearl.
A furniture finish from the 17th and 18th centuries, whereby paints and varnishes are applied to a gesso base to simulate the appearance of lacquer.
A plant or flower container.
A desk with pedestals on either side, with a central opening for the knees.
Oriental varnish is obtained from the sap of the lacquer tree, giving a high-gloss finish.
A term for small tables such as side tables, coffee tables, lamp tables, etc.
A French phrase meaning ground gold. It refers to brass mounts on furniture.
A low, upholstered seat without backs or arms.
Decoration that is raised from the surface - carved, stamped, or moulded.
A large piece of dining-room furniture with a flat top and drawers. Sometimes has a back for displaying china and glass, sometimes with cabinets with doors on each side.
The fixing of thin layers of wood to the surface of a piece of furniture.