FRENCH AND ITALIAN TERMS

Dos d'ane

A drop-leaf desk.

Duchesse brisée

A chaise longue in two parts in which the portion for supporting the legs is longer than the seat element.

Èbénistes

Makers of veneered case furniture.

Eglomisé

Glass panel painted gold, white or blue on reverse used in doors.

Enfilade

A piece of furniture, usually a buffet, in which the cabinet doors reveal connected compartments in a row.

Escritoire

Writing desk.

Escutcheon

An ornament plate that surrounds a keyhole.

Espagnolette

Bronze mount in female bust design (Régence & Louis XV).

Estampille

Stamp of cabinet maker.

Étagère

Freestanding shelf unit open on all sides used for display.

Faience

A French term for glazed earthenware such as Quimper.

Fauteuil

Armchair with open arms.

Fausse paire

A pair of chairs, identical in form, that were crafted in different periods.

Fauteuil de bureau

A desk chair.

Faux finish

Finish made to look like another, e.g., marble or wood.

Gesso

A composition, often made with chalk and parchment size that is commonly applied to furniture, picture frames and mirrors as foundation upon which gilding or silvering was applied.

Cabriole

Legs which curve out from the seat & inward toward the foot in an S shape.

Canapé

Sofa.

Candelabrum

A branched candlestick usually cast in bronze, white metal or silver.

Cartouche

Roman inspired decoration used in Renaissance, Baroque & Rococo.

Cassone

An Italian bridal dowry chest often decorated with carved, gilt, inlaid, or painted decoration.

Chaise-longue

A reclining chair with a seat that extends for leg support.

Chinoiserie

Lacquer furniture with oriental designs.

Coiffeuse

A small table topped with a mirror intended as a make-up and hairdressing table.

Commode

A low chest of drawers, usually with short legs, intended to be set against a wall.

Console

A table that stands against the wall and is usually supported by two, bracket-shaped legs.

Coquille

Seashell or scallop shaped.

Corbeille a fleurs

Literally 'flower basket.' Characteristic of Louis XV style decoration.

Credence

Small table or sideboard.

Credenzia

A side table or buffet with a flat surface for serving and cabinet space for storage.

Demi-lune

Type of crescent-shaped table, commonly placed against the wall.

Buffet de chasse

A buffet table with a marble top which was typically used to prepare game.

Buffet deux corps

A two-tiered buffet with the top cabinet being shallower than the bottom cabinet.

Bureau plat

A flat writing table or desk, usually having several drawers.

Burl

Wood from an abnormal or diseased portion of a tree root or trunk (often caused by injury to the bark). Burl wood is highly prized for furniture design because the grain exhibits spectacular mottled or speckled patterns.

Bibliothèque

From the French word for library, a bibliotheque is a piece of furniture with glass-fronted doors and several shallow shelves designed to hold books.

Biedermeier

Style of furniture and decoration current in Austria, Germany, Sweden and Russia between 1815 and 1848, featuring clean, simple lines and detailed veneer work with little ornamentation.

Boiserie

Elaborately carved wood paneling.

Bombe

Commode with a bulging front.

Bouillotte

Small lamp with narrow shade, arrow detail above the shade and tray base.

Bronze d'ore

Gilded metal, especially cast brass or bronze gilded over fire with an amalgam of gold and mercury, used for furniture mounts and ornamental objects.

Buffet á glissant

A buffet which has a smaller, recessed compartmented, known as the tabernacle.

Acanthus

A leaf used in Classical ornament, particularly on Corinthian capitals; frequently found on furniture as carved decoration or cast bronze ornament, particularly from the French, Louis XVI period.

Andirons

A pair of iron bars, usually decorated at the front end by a vertical member, placed at each side of the hearth and upon which the burning logs were supported.

Arbalette

A serpentine form characteristic of the finest Louis XV commodes, buffets, and consoles.

Armoire

Wardrobe; a clothes cupboard.

Art Nouveau

A period and/or style of decoration which first appeared in England in the 1880's and spread throughout Europe, particularly Belgium, France and Germany, in the early 1890s.

Baroque

An elaborately ornamented style which was popular in Europe from approximately 1600 to 1750, favoring flamboyant carving, painting, and gilding.

Bas-relief

Decoration which is slightly raised from the surface or background.

Beauvais

Originally a tapestry factory. During the reign of Louis XVI they produced seat covers & carpets.

Bergère

Upholstered armchair with wood frame and closed arms.

Vermeil

Gilded metal.

Vernis Martin

French lacquer from the 18th c perfected by the Martin brothers.

X-frame stools

Has legs in an X shape.

Serpentine

Furniture form characterized by a undulating, central, convex (protruding) surface with concave ends.

Sèvres

Porcelain made at the Sèvres factory starting in 1756 when it was moved from Vincennes.

Shagreen

Skin of dogfish, pale green, blue or yellow, used to cover furniture.

Singerie

Design with a monkey motif.

Tabouret

Foot stool.

Toiles de Jouy

Fabric with monochromatic prints of pastoral and allegorical scenes.

Tole

Lacquered tin.

Torchère

A tall lamp which casts light toward the ceiling used especially with art deco style.

Tric trac

French name for the game of backgammon.

Trumeau

French term for pier-glass, traditionally decorated with a painted canvas set in the frame above the mirror during the Louis XV period.

Trompe l'oeil

'To fool the eye,' a 2-dimensional painting of real objects having a 3-dimensional effect.

Veneer

Decorative effect accomplished by the application of thin layers of ornamental (and often exotic) woods to an underlying, structurally supporting surface.

Verde gris

A shade of grayish green with teal and green highlights.

Vitrine

French term for display or china cabinet.

Mascaron

Head of animal, man or woman placed on the corner of apron.

Ormolu

Embellishment for furniture made from a copper & zinc alloy which looks like gold.

Parcel gilded

Selective gilding on only portions or specific decorative elements.

Pastiglia

Gesso (plaster) that was dripped on furniture in layers and then carved and gilded in bas-relief in the Italian Renaissance period.

Pied de biche

Deer feet, typically found at the base of cabriole legs in Regence and Louis XV furniture.

Pied de sabots

Hoof feet, typically found at the base of cabriole legs in Regence and Louis XV furniture.

Period style

Entire room design referencing one historical time and place.

Poudreuse

Small dressing table.

Ratchet

A sofa with movable arms that can be dropped down for sleeping.

Repoussé

Raised design on metal made by hammering the back side.

Sabot

Metal fitting to protect leg bottom.

Savonnerie

Carpets produced in workshops established by Henry IV, with early designs featuring flowers on a dark ground.

Sconce

Light which is fixed on the wall.

Secrétaire à Abattant

A drop front desk, usually with drawers or cupboard doors underneath.

Semainier

Tall chest for the bedroom with 7 drawers.

Gilded

Covered in gold leaf.

Gilding

The decoration of surfaces with gold leaf.

Gilt-bronze

Bronze which has been gilded.

Gilt wood

Gold finished wood.

Girandole

An ornate and ornamental candlestick holder, often backed with a mirror.

Gueridon

A small, round table made to support a candlestick or candelabrum.

Gobelins

Louis XIV's furniture & tapestry workshops, production was for the king.

Inlay

Contrasting wood, stone, metal, shell or ivory set into another material for a decorative effect.

Jardinière

Plant container.

Lambrequin

Deeply scalloped drapery or that effect carved into furniture.

Les os de mouton

Literally 'Sheep's horn,' this term refers to sinuous stretchers that are the quintessential element of Louis XIV furniture.

Lit de repos

A day-bed.

Lit canapé

Sofa bed.

Lyon silk

Silk woven at Lyon, known as the finest silks of the 18th century.

Magot

Grotesque oriental figure on porcelain.

Marquetry

Inlay design glued into furniture or floors using a variety of woods.

Marquise

A broad chair built to accommodate the wide skirts and panniers of the Louis XV period.