Antique Glossary: Furniture Part IV E-F
| Easy Chair Any large, heavily upholstered chair intended for lounging. The earliest appearances are from France in the 18th century. Ebony A dense almost black wood native to India and Sri Lanka used in the manufacture of furniture. It has become exceedingly rare in modern woodworking due to over-harvesting. Egg and Dart Patterns A decorative design pattern common on wooden antique furniture from the 16th century onward. The name is derived from the pattern’s ovular shapes divided from each other by arrow shapes. Egyptian Style Following Napoleon's ill-fated conquest of Egypt a fascination with the forms and images of ancient Egyptian art took hold of France and eventually all of Europe. Egyptian motifs were introduced to furniture, porcelain, and fashion. The fascination faded by about the middle of the 19th century. Empire Style Napoleon, in a misguided attempt to introduce the perceived virtues of the ancient Romans to France, essentially demanded the adoption of neoclassical design by the nation. He ordered the formation of a committee to headed by the painter David to lay the ground work of a style that would dominate the French Empire’s buildings, furniture, and visual arts. Entasis It is a curious feature of a perfectly straight column that it will appear to become thinner in the middle and widen out at the ends. To overcome this optical illusion furniture makers often make the middle of a column thicker than its ends. The column will them appear to be of a consistent thickness all along its length. EscritoireA small, easily transportable desk. Often without legs and meant to be set on a table or other flat surface. Espagnolette A bust of a woman used to decorate the tops of a table’s or other furniture’s legs. It was in common use during the 17th and 18th century in France and England. Façade A term to describe a decorative front taken from architecture. In furniture facades are applied to chests and cabinets to make them more appealing to the eye. Fancy Furniture A chair or other piece of antique furniture built more for form than function. These small highly decorated pieces usually survive due to the fact that they were too delicate to use. Farthingale Chair An Elizabethan English chair design made with out arms in order to accommodate a particularly voluminous style of dress popular at the time. Federal PeriodFollowing the end of the American Revolution furniture tastes in the United States underwent a transformation. Furniture makers in the former colonies turned towards a style highly reminiscent of the classical and dark heavy woods such as mahogany and maple came into fashion. The period can be said to run from 1780 until about 1830. Festoon A decorative pattern carved into or attached to the surface of a piece of furniture. Usually a series of loops or scroll work depicting flowers, ropes, or the like. Fiddleback Any chair whose back support splat resembles the a fiddle or violin. Fitment Any piece of furniture, such as a bookshelf or spice rack that is intended to be attached to a wall or other support structure either temporarily or permanently. Flambeau A decorative attachment or carving on a piece of antique furniture that resembles a burning torch. Foot Warmer A foot stool that was fairly common in early American furniture making. The stool is built with a small compartment which was meant to hold heated bricks in order to keep the users feet warm. French Polish A term used to describe a certain type of very high gloss finish on wood. It is achieved through careful application of multiple layers of shellac. ---- Posted on August 4th, 2006 Silas Finch is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Collectible Antiques Etc. He can be reached at Content and Solutions or by email at silas@collectibleantiquesetc.com. |
