by Leigh Keno
compass seat: An eighteenth-century term used to describe a chair seat with a rounded front and incurvate sides, the outline of which resembles a horseshoe.
corner block: A wooden block that is either glued or nailed to the inside corner of a joint to reinforce the juncture of the two intersecting pieces. See glue block.
cornice: The crowning—typically molded and projecting—member of a case piece; similar to the top of an entablature in architecture.
crest rail: The top horizontal rail of a chair, settee, or sofa.
crossbanding: Strips of veneer used as a decorative border and often set so that the grain pattern runs perpendicular to the direction of that adjacent to it.
crotch wood: The grain pattern of wood cut from the area of a tree where a branch joins the trunk.
C scroll: A carved scroll-like decorative motif resembling the letter C.
cyma curve: An S-shaped or double curved line, one half of which is concave, the other convex.
demilune: Semicircular, or half-moon, in shape.
desk and bookcase: A tall case piece that includes an upper section fitted with shelves and partitions for books and papers and a lower section that includes a writing surface, often with drawers or cabinet doors below. Also known as a secretary-book-case.
dished top: A tabletop, often hewn from a single board, that features a shallow raised rim.
dovetail: A term used to describe a juncture where two pieces of wood are joined together at a right angle with interlocking wedge-shaped joints that in profile resemble a dove's tail.
dowel: A wooden pin, roughly cylindrical in shape, that fits into a hole to join two pieces of wood.
dressing table: A low case piece or table with drawers raised on legs; often made en suite with a high chest.
drop leaf: A hinged extension that is attached to the stationary top of a table so that it can be folded down when not in use.
easy chair: An upholstered armchair with a winged high back and enclosed padded arms. Also known in the trade as a wing chair.
églomisé: A method by which painted or gilded decorative designs are applied to the back of a piece of glass.
escutcheon: A protective metal plate surrounding a keyhole.
fall front: The hinged cover of a desk or secretary that folds out to form a writing surface.
figure: The grain pattern displayed on a cut piece of wood.
finial: A shaped vertical ornament often used to decorate the top of a tall case piece.
fluting: Decorative carving in the form of vertical channels. The reverse of reeding.
fretwork: A form of openwork or low-relief carving that resembles a geometric grid pattern or latticework.
frieze: A flat or sculpted ornamental band on furniture; it runs horizontally, such as on the apron of a table or on the area beneath a pediment molding.
gadrooning: Carved ornament in the form of a series of interspersed convex and concave lobes used to accent a horizontal member of a piece of furniture.
gate-leg table: A table form popularized during the first half of the eighteenth century; constructed with legs joined by stretchers that swing out from the frame (like gates) to support the hinged leaves when extended.
gesso: Plaster mixed with a binding material; it is used for relief work or as a ground for painting or gilding.
gilding: To coat with a thin layer of gold or a gold-colored paint.
glue block: In furniture, a wood block used to strengthen the juncture of two structural members.
high chest: A tall two-part case piece consisting of an upper case with drawers that rests on top of a lower section, also with drawers, that is raised on legs.
highboy: A trade term for high chest.
incising: A carving technique in which a fine, sharp instrument is used to produce a shallow thin-lined pattern.
inlay: Ornamentation that involves the insertion of decorative material (such as wood veneers or a shell) into the surface of a piece of furniture.
intaglio: Low-relief decorative carving.
kerfing saw: A fine saw used to cut dovetails.
kneehole desk: A desk with an open or recessed center flanked by a column of drawers on either side.
lathe: A machine on which a piece of wood can be affixed and spun while being shaped by a cutting tool.
lopers: The decorative handholds that front the sliding support rails of a fall-front desk.
lowboy: A trade term for dressing table.
molding: A band of wood, either projecting or incised, that has been shaped by a molding plane.
mortise: A recess cut into a piece of wood to receive a tenon.
mounts: All the decorative and functional metal hardware, including drawer pulls,
escutcheons, and hinges, applied to furniture.
ogee curve: An S-shaped or reverse curve; similar to a cyma curve.
ormolu: Gilded bronze or brass made in imitation of gold and often used for furniture mounts.
pad foot: A simple rounded or oval-shaped carved foot.
patina: Surface texture and color acquired over time from general use and exposure.
pedestal table: A table supported by a central column, commonly leading to a tripod base.
pediment: The ornamental top of a tall case piece; commonly triangular or arched in form, it is suggestive of an architectural pediment.
Pembroke table: A small rectangular four-legged table with two short hinged leaves supported by swing rails (rather than legs), and often fitted at one end with a drawer.
piecrust table: A common term used to describe a circular tilt-top tea table or candle stand with a scalloped, molded edge.
pier table: A side table, often placed in a dining room or parlor between two windows (the architectural term for that wall space is pier).
pigeonhole: A small compartment used in a desk, bookcase, or cabinet for keeping documents and papers.
pilaster: An engaged rectangular column that projects in low relief from a wall or piece of furniture.
pin: A narrow wooden peg used to secure a mortise-and-tenon joint.
plinth: In decorative arts, a square block that serves as a base for a statue, vase, or finial.
plum-pudding mahogany: A trade term that refers to a rare type of highly figured mahogany, usually reddish purple, with distinctive graining in the form of small oval or circular aberrations.
primary wood: The wood used on the show surface of a piece of furniture.
provenance: A term used to describe the source and ownership history of a piece.
pull: A knob or handle used for opening or closing drawers, cabinet doors, desktops, and other compartments.
rail: A horizontal framing member that extends from one vertical support to another, as in the crestof a chair.
rat-tail hinge: A hand-wrought door hinge featuring a heart-shaped terminal with a curled or winding tip that resembles a rat's tail.
reeding: Convex vertical carving. The reverse of fluting.
rose-head nail: A hand-forged nail used in America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; it has an irregularly shaped, slightly raised head that in outline resembles an open rose.
sand burning: A method of applying hot sand to an inlaidwood design for shading and added dimension.
scroll pediment: A trade term used to describe a broken-arch pediment.
secondary wood: The structural wood—thus, unseen—used in furniture construction.
secretary-bookcase:See desk and bookcase.
shagreen: The rough, pebbled skin of certain species of sharks or rays that was occasionally put to use in the eighteenth century as an early form of sandpaper.
shoe: A horizontal molded piece of wood attached to a chair's railat the bottom of the back, into which the splat is fitted.
skirt:See apron.
slip seat: A removable chair seat, made of cane, rush, or upholstery, that is designed to rest in the four seat rails of a chair.
slipper foot: A
narrow, elongated foot that is rounded at the rear and tapers evenly to a point at the front.
Spanish foot: A carved scrolled foot with vertical fluting; it often curves backward at the base.
spindle: A slender decorative turned piece of wood, similar to a baluster, often used on chair backs.
S scroll: A decorative motif in the shape of the letter S.
stile: One of the two upright vertical side supports in a chair back that support the crest rail.
stop fluting: A decorative device that features concave carved channels, or fluting, that are filled at the lower end with reeding.
stretcher: A horizontal bracing member set between the legs of a chair, table, or the like for added strength and stability.
stringing: A narrow line of decorative inlay set into a contrasting primary wood on furniture.
tenon: A projecting tonguelike member left by cutting away the wood around it, for insertion into a mortise to make a joint.
tilt-top table: A pedestal table fitted with a birdcage mechanism or block beneath the top that allows it to tilt when not in use.
toleware: A term of French derivation for paint-decorated tinware.
torchère: A tall stand with a very small top that is intended to hold a candlestick, lamp, or decorative object.
turnings: Furniture elements, such as balusters and spindles, that have been shaped on a lathe.
tympanum: The recessed front-facing board contained within the upper and lower cornices of a pediment.
veneer: A thin slice of wood used as a surface covering on a base, or less expensive, wood to give it a finished appearance.
verdigris: A word derived from the French term vert de Grice, or “green of Greece,” referring to a greenish blue pigment used to simulate an antique bronze green patina.
volute: A spiral scroll-shaped form similar to one side of a Greek Ionic capital.
Windsor chair: A chair designed with a multiple-spindle back that fits into a wood-plank seat that is supported below by legs that splay outward.
wing chair:See easy chair.
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