Abacus:

The topmost member of the capital of a column.

Abutment:

A reinforcing block or wall of masonry adding support to the great vaults & arches.

Acanthus Leaf:

A decorative wood carving representing the ragged leaf of the acanthus plant, a motive of classic Greek and roman origin.

Acorn:

Turned ornament resembling an acorn. Acorns are common in Jacobean furniture as finials on chair posts and bedposts, as pendants and as the profile of leg turnings in Jacobean tables.

Acroterium:

Originally an ornament on the roof corners of Greek temples. In classical furniture, similar ornaments applied to the top corners of secretaries, bookcases, highboys and other furniture.

Ageing:

Decorative technique used to create the effect of wear-and-tear on a wooden, painted, plastic or other surfaces. Common in country and rustic reproductions, also used to create antique "fakes."

Alcove:

Recessed part of a room. Alcoves serve as great locations for built-in furniture, and often house one or more windows. Bed alcoves exist in Pompeian rooms, and such placing of the sleeping quarters was common in northern Europe through the Middle Ages and later. In the 18th century, designs of special beds such recesses appeared. Other uses include bookcases and cabinets, dining groups, etc.

Altarpiece:

An individual or group of panels or screens located near or on the altar.

Ambulatory:

A continuous isle, which wraps a circular structure or an apse at its base. Designed for use in Processions.

American Colonial:

Term loosely applied to all American furniture used by the colonies prior to the American Revolution. This style includes rough handmade pieces of the early American frontier, New England versions of Jacobean and Puritan (Cromwellian), furniture imported by settlers from Europe and Americanized versions of formal English and European designs. There is no clear division of this period but most agree to group it into early colonial and late colonial (American provincial).

American Country:

Simple designs originating from the earliest settlers in America during the early colonial period (see above). These pieces are very simple and often rough in design. This charming style is still very popular today.

American Frontier (American Primitive):

A style created during late 1700's to 1800's to meet the demands of the western frontier. Noted pieces include twin wagon seat chairs, sinks without plumbing, cupboards and cobbler's benches. Woods primarily used included ash, hickory, maple, black walnut and pine. Pieces of this period were usually painted black or in primary colors.

Aniline:

The name of a transparent alcohol solvent dye used to color leather or wood, deep penetrating by nature.

Annulet:

A circular finishing found on pillars or piers, sometimes decorated with carvings.

Antependium:

Decorated frontispiece to an altar, featuring allegorical figures in tapestry or carved forms.

Antique Finish (or Antiquing):

A paint or stain finish applied to an object to give an aged look. Techniques commonly employee use of original coloring and finishing materials and procedures. A true antique reproduction will have a proper "antique" finish in appearance and process.

Antique:

Could be anything ranging from a piece of furniture to art. The US government considers any item over 100 years old to be an antique, whereas most collectors use 50 years as a benchmark. Furniture must be pre-1900 or extremely early 20^th century for antique status. True antique furniture are pieces made prior to the mass production machine era following WWI.

Apothecary Chest:

A low chest with small drawers originally used to store herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes.

Appliqué:

Thin decorative feature applied to a surface, also known as Onlay or Overlay.

Apron:

A board placed to the underside of a shelf, sill, seat, or tabletop for stability and decoration. Carving or stenciling for can add detail to an apron.

Apse:

Particular to the East end of Cathedrals, the Apse is a semicircular form serving as a culmination. The Apse, generally domed, will often form the Altar. The term is derived from the Medieval Latin

Arcade:

A row of arches set atop piers/columns. Sometimes refers to the arched roof itself.

Archivolt:

An ornamental molding seen often in arch shaped portals following the lines of the face with sculpted figures.

Arm Chair:

Seating that has both a backrest and armrests.

Armatures:

Iron framework used within mason-less Rose Windows to support the glass weight.

Armoire:

A large mobile cupboard or wardrobe featuring doors and shelves for clothes storage, term of French origin. Modern implementations include bedroom entertainment centers.

Arrow Foot:

A cylindrical foot that has tapered and separated from the leg by a turned ring.

Art Deco:

A style characterized by geometric forms and bright, bold colors, popular from c. 1918 to 1940.

Art Nouveau:

A movement and style of decoration characterized by sinuous curves and flowing lines, asymmetry, and flower and leaf motifs.

Astragal:

Small, semi-circular molding applied to the glazing bars on cabinets' bookcases

Bachelor's Chest:

A small, low chest-of-drawers.

Bail:

A metal hook suspended between two studs to form a drawer pull.

Baize:

Wool fabric resembling felt, usually green, used on gaming tables.

Baker's Rack:

Open slatted back with shelves used for storing goods in the kitchen

Ball flower:

An ornamented ball sculpture surmounted in the petals of a flower.

Ball Foot:

The rounded end of a turned leg having a hooded effect.

Ball-and-claw Foot:

A sculptured foot showing a bird's claw or animal paws grasping a ball; most commonly found on a cabriole leg.

Balloon Seat:

A chair seat where the front rail bows forward in a convex or horseshoe shape.

Baluster:

An upright, such as a table leg or rail, shaped like a vase or urn.

Bamboo Form:

Woodcarving, of Chinese influence, in the shape of natural bamboo forms.

Banding:

Veneer cut into narrow strips and applied to create a decorative effect, usually found around the edges of tables and drawer fronts. Also available in a solid wood strip allowing a routed edge and creating a great illusion of a solid wood piece.

Bar tracery:

The dominant class of Tracery consisting of decorative patterns formed from stone bars.

Barley Twist:

The turning of a leg of furniture so that it resembles a screw thread.

Baroque:

An extravagant and heavily ornate style of architecture, furniture, and decoration that originated in 17th century Italy.

Bat-wing Drawer Pull:

A brass drawer pull that is in the shape similar to a bat. Usually on Queen Anne pieces.

Bead:

A small quarter or half round molding. Bead moldings assist in transitions between other moldings or areas, and are often flexible enough to conform to minor discrepancies.

Beaded Molding:

A molding style consisting of convex half-cylinders running the length of the molded piece

Beatle Hole:

(See also Worm Holes) Small holes found in wood, considered a defect in many instances and a character-providing element in others such as rustic furniture pieces. Beatle holes are the result of snacking powder post beetles. These insects may survive the finishing process in dormant form and suddenly come alive when they reach room temperature. Finding mysterious wood dust inside drawers and cabinets is a symptom of a snacking beetle. Immediate action must be taken to avoid further damage to your piece.

Bentwood:

Steamed wood bent into a curvilinear shape. Bentwood is common to such pieces as oxbow desks staircases, and archways.

Biedermeier:

A 19th-century style originating in Germany, characterized by lack of ostentation

Blanket Chest:

A chest used for general storage, usually kept in the bedroom. Construction may be of any common chest design, block front, flat-panel, raised-panel, or simply plane lumber.

Block Foot:

A cube-shaped foot found at the base of square-legged furniture.

Block Front Chest:

A chest of drawers in which the center is concave and the end panels are convex.

Block-Front:

A unique American furniture form, mainly found in chests, where the front is divided vertically by a concave center and two convex end panels that often terminate at the top in flat arches or carved shells.

Bolection Mold:

A decorative boldly rounded surface mold, indicative of the Chippendale style.

Bombe:

Bulbous, curving form; convex fronts and sides of chests.

Bonnet Top Highboy:

Highboy with a full dome or hood over the top of the piece, many antique highboys are missing their bonnet or sustained damage over the years.

Bonnet-Top:

In cabinetwork, a top with a broken arch or pediment, or a curved or scroll top with a central finial motif in the shape of a flame, urn, etc. Commonly atop a highboy or secretary.  Straight or ogee molded face.

Boss (Rib-boss):

Ornamental masonry strips used to conceal the breaks in vault work.

Bow Front Chest:

A chest-of-drawers with a convex front.

Bracket Foot:

A low right-angled foot of a chest, etc., having two decoratively shaped ends and a vertically first seen in the 18^th century.

Braganza:

An inscrolled or knurled foot. Sometimes also called "Spanish foot."

Breakfront:

A cabinet divided vertically into three sections, with the middle section projecting forward. Most commonly seen in hutches, bar backs, or desks.

Buffet (or Sideboard):

A sideboard without a hutch or storage cabinet on top.

Bun Foot:

A round ball acting as a foot used on furniture in the 17th century.

Bureau:

A piece of furniture with drawers, used as a desk. It features either a fall-front, which slopes at 45 degrees, a cylinder front, or a tambour front.

Burl:

A tree knot or natural grain, sometimes as result of a cancer, featuring extremely unique and beautiful patterning. Woodworkers prize burl wood for many applications where appearance is of the utmost importance. Burl wood is inherently unstable and may impart uncontrollable checks or warping. Common practice is to shave burl wood into veneers to avoid such occurrences.

Butler's Tray Table:

A tray with four flip-up handholds that can be removed from the table legs on which it stands. When the sides are down an oval tabletop is created.

Butt Joint:

The junction of the ends of two pieces of wood such as on a sill. This is the most inexpensive and the fastest to constructed, but is weakest woodworking joint.

Butterfly Table:

A small drop-leaf table with swinging supports resembling a butterfly wing on a rudder.

Butterfly:

Inlay of an opposing grain thin slice of wood used to prevent spread of a check or crack in wood.

Cabriole leg:

A leg or support in the form of a conventionalized animal's leg with knee, ankle, and foot. Form tends to swell wider at the top (knee) and bottom (ankle). Very common in Queen Anne designs.

Camel back:

Back of late Chippendale or Hepplewhite style, the top rail of which was in the form of a serpentine curve.

Canopy:

An overhanging shade or shelter above an artwork or statue sometimes situated upon pillars.

Capital:

The upper element of an architectural pillar, often finely decorated in Romanesque and Early Gothic structures.

Carolingian:

The title of this period owes its origin to Charles Martel, the Frankish ruler who defeated the Moors at Poitiers in 732. The artistic advances of this period were initiated by Martel's grandson Charlemagne, who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800. Although the Carolingian empire itself would not survive past the ninth century, the civilizing forces set in motion during this era would form the foundation for cultural growth during the Medieval age. Rare examples of Carolingian architecture remain, excepting such sites as Minster at Aachen.

Cartouche:

A conventionalized shield form used as an ornament.

Casters:

Rollers on the end of each foot, behind a skirt, or open to view that allowed for moving easily.

Chamfer:

A corner or edge that is beveled, or cut, at an angle or beveled.

Check:

Crack or split that occurs along the grain of wood due to uneven internal pressures. Checking may occur at any time in the life of a piece of furniture, and is usually traceable to a sudden change in temperature and or humidity. Checks may be slowed or stopped using a butterfly inlay.

Chesser:

A combination of a dresser and a chest. Chessers are narrower than a dresser and shorter than a chest, and normally have a small tilting mirror.

Chest on Chest:

A tall chest with a larger chest of drawers that supports a slightly smaller chest.

Chest:

A tall, narrow piece featuring a series of drawers for storing clothing.

Cheval Glass:

A standing mirror in a freestanding vertical frame. Also called a dressing mirror.

Chevron:

An ancient European design motif consisting of a pattern of pointed zig zags.

Choir:

The section of a Cruciform Cathedral located between the Nave and the main Altar.

Cinquefoil:

 A five sided design of converging arcs, often used in framework.

Clubfoot:

The foot flares into a flat pad form that is round in shape.

Cockbead:

A small, half-round mold applied to edges of a drawer front.

Cocktail Table:

A table normally positioned in front of a sofa, which provides a surface for serving. Cocktail tables are also, known as a coffee tables.

Coffer:

A multi-functional traveling chest with handles and a domed lid but without feet, usually made of oak.

Column Figure:

A statue or sculpted figure, which serves as a supportive or decorative shaft within a portal.

Column:

Architectural feature originating of Greek and Roman design. Columns may be rounded, square, or flat in plain or ornate form. Common decorations include fluting, carving, or applied designs.

Commode:

A small, low chest with doors or drawers, many traditionally styled nightstands are referred to as commodes.

Console:

A term originally applied to a bracket that supported cornices or shelves and later used to describe tables that were affixed to a wall and supported with legs at the front. Today it describes any type of table used along a wall.

Corbel:

Decorative transitional support commonly found on mantels. Corbels can be simple scrolls, or complex cherub, lion, horse, or other three dimensional designs. Corbels support the mantel shelf against the side columns.

Corner Block or Brace:

A diagonal brace placed at the corner of a frame structure to provide strength. Commonly found on the inside corners of dressers and chests for example.

Corner Cupboard:

A triangular shaped dining room china cabinet made to fit into a corner. Modern implementations also extend to entertainment centers and display cabinets.

Cornice:

A horizontal molding or group of moldings crowning the top, or crown, of a cabinet or other furniture. Commonly found on hutches, curios or cupboards.

Cottage Furniture:

A style of casual furniture characterized by being painted and/or decorated. Cottage pieces often feature turned legs and very simple lines.

Country Style:

A casual style that gained popularity in the 1980's and remains popular today, often featuring nature and nostalgic motifs. The "appearance" of handcrafting is also important including visible distressing or ageing.

Credence Table:

A type of small table used for storing food before serving; generally a semi-circular table with a hinged top.

Credenza:

Normally a sideboard or buffet. In office furniture, credenzas are a horizontal filing cabinet, which are often placed behind a desk.

Crest:

This usually refers to the top rail of a chair back, sofa back, etc.

Crockets:

A distinctive Gothic motif formed of floral and leaf ornamentation. Primarily used on spire and pinnacle sculpture.

Cross-Banding:

A narrow band of veneer forming the frame of a panel; the grain of the wood is at right angles to the line of the frame.

Crossing:

The area of intersection in a Cruciform church, formed by joining the Nave, Transept & Chancel.

Crown Molding:

Angled molding joining horizontal and vertical surfaces in a clean and elegant manner. Common uses include wall to ceiling molding, fireplace mantles, crowns or caps to furniture, and as decorative wall shelving. Crown molding requires complex compound miter and bevel cutting for installation.

Cupboard:

A cabinet, box or closet with shelves designed to hold cups, dishes or food.

Curio (Collectors Cabinet):

A case piece featuring glassed in shelves and doors for displaying collectibles.

Cusp:

Found within Tracery decoration to form the meeting point of foils.

Cusped corner:

An indented corner on case and tabletops or other panels, created by the intersection of two carved quarter round corners.

Cyma curve:

A double curve in a simplified "s" form.

Dado Joint:

A rectangular groove across the width of a board or plank fitting another piece of wood to create additional structure and support. Commonly used to joint shelving into the sides of cases.

Dado Rail:

A wooden rail or molding that is fixed horizontally along a wall, usually about a third of the way up from the floor.

Damp Fold:

A sculpting technique in which the lines are long and subtle, giving the featured material a look as though it was damp and clinging to the figure.

Deboss:

To depress a design in leather, paper, wood, or composition board.

Dentils:

Rectangular blocks equally spaced for ornamentation in a cornice molding.

DeStijl:

A 20th century style originating in the Netherlands. As with other Dutch furniture of the period, destijl furniture is characteristically simple and clean-lined.

Directoire:

Furniture design popular during the era of the French revolution, it bridges the formal Louis xvi and the more reserved empire style, most popular during the late 1700's to early 1800's.

Distemper:

Paints made by mixing pigment with water and bound with casein, glue or egg. Widely used before the arrival of emulsion.

Distressed (or Distressing):

A furniture trait where pieces are purposely dented or otherwise marked to render an antique or rustic appearance.

Dog Tooth Molding:

An ornamental feature in which pairs of 'tooth-like' pieces of wood or stone are set to each other in diagonal rows.

Double-Doweled:

A method of joining two pieces of wood which uses two dowel pins instead of one to ensure no shifting

Dovetail:

Joint construction made by cutting pins in the shape of dovetails, which fit between dovetails upon another piece. Commonly found in drawer construction.

Dowel:

A headless wooden pin used in furniture construction.

Drake Foot:

A carved three-toed foot. Also a "trifid foot".

Dresser:

A chest of drawers used to store clothes.

Drop Front:

The hinged front of an upright desk that drops down to provide a surface for writing.

Drop Handle:

A pear-shaped handle made popular in the late 17th century.

Drop Leaf:

A dining or occasional table with hinged leaves that can be lowered.

Drop Lid Desk:

A desk with a hinged front that covers the inner compartments.

Dry Brushing:

A paint technique utilizing brushwork over a glaze to create a cloudy effect.

Duncan Phyfe:

A furniture style popular in the late 1700's to early 1800's. Duncan Phyfe pieces are characterized by feet that gracefully curve outward on both tables and sofas. Duncan Phyfe seating pieces often have lyre-shaped backs, rolled top rails and arms.

Dutch Foot:

A type of disk or pad foot used in either varying forms on turned or cabriole legs.

Dutch Renaissance:

This style is square, solid and heavy, with straight lines as a rule. Chairs are characterized by turned legs, straight stretchers and straight low backs. Carvings are the main form of decoration featuring foliated ornamentation and scrollwork. Seats were often covered in leather with large brass nails. Oak is predominately used. Most popular during the 1500's through the 1600's.

Dutch Style:

Early Flemish baroque furniture, dating from the 17th century, was but a slight adaptation of the late renaissance style. Typical are oak cupboards with four doors and chairs with seats and backs of velvet or leather held in place by nails. Most pieces are massive, solid unpretentious pieces made of local woods with turnings.

Dye Lot:

Stains, finishes, and paints are manufactured in batches referred to as "lots." Each lot produces a specific amount of liquid product that is of exactly the same color and patina. Even though the same ratio of components may be combined to produce the final solution, variations in components, temperature, mixing time, humidly, etc. Play a factor. Therefore, it is advisable to complete a project from the same identified dye lot if possible, or very subtle variations in color may be apparent.

Early American:

American furniture design of the late 1600's to early 1700's (still popular today), adapted from popular European styles such as Jacobean and William and marries. The look is characterized by straight lines and minimal decoration. The style has merged into what is now called colonial, normally featuring elements of Queen Anne and Chippendale design.

Early English Style:

The beginnings of Gothic in England span from the final years of the twelfth century through the first half of the thirteenth. Cathedrals primarily constructed within this period are Canterbury, Wells, Lincoln and Salisbury. Within each of these, excepting perhaps Salisbury, it is plain to recognize preceding Romanesque forms and elements.

Early Renaissance:

Early 1500's, the transitional period between gothic arts and the classical revival. Characterized by arch form, ornament and detail in style and decoration, high relief carving with diamond shapes and architectural pilasters, and ornamented with olive, laurel and acanthus leaves. Pieces usually featured no hardware.

Ears:

The protrusions on either side of a Chippendale chair's crest rail.

Eastlake:

Style designed by Charles Eastlake, popular in England and America during the late 1800's. Style was medieval and featured gothic and Japanese ornamentations. Cherry and fruitwoods were primarily used along with tile and metal panel and eye-catching hardware for decoration.

Ebonized:

A painting effect where an object is treated with color to make it look like ebony.

Eclectic:

A style of decorating combining furniture and accessories of various styles and periods.

Egg & Dart:

A classic design of alternating oval and dart shapes, commonly applied to cornices.

Eggshell:

An oil-based paint that has a low-sheen satin finish.

Eglomise:

The decorative and exacting art of reverse painting on glass, mainly related to the Sheraton style.

Elizabethan:

A large furniture style of severe form that emerged during the reign of Elizabeth I in England during the latter half of the 1500's. Elizabethan pieces are characterized by heavy carving and massive size.

Embossing:

A technique to impress or stamp a design onto a piece of furniture; mostly used on wood pieces to resemble carving.

Empire:

A style inspired by the Napoleonic empire, which features heavy looking classical designs and combines straight lines and curves, sleigh beds are a good example of this styling.

Emulsion:

A water-based paint that is most common on walls and ceilings.

Encoignure:

An 18th-19th century casework piece similar to a corner cabinet. Its front is typically rounded or diagonal, and it rests on three or four feet. Often, the top portion contains shelves in graduated sizes.

End Matching:

Two adjacent pieces of veneer, which are joined end to end to form a continuous pattern.

English Style:

The period distinctions of English furniture are somewhat indefinite owing to the variety of labels according to monarchs, designers, typical woods and external influences. Changes were happening so rapidly that primarily the type of wood used distinguished the boundaries of the English style.

Entertainment Center:

A piece of furniture designed to hold entertainment equipment such as TV's and stereo components.

Ergonomic:

Term that relates to furniture design and function for the human form; very commonly found in home office furnishings such ergonomic chairs for example.

Escritoire:

A cabinet with a fall front that lowers to form a writing surface.

Escutcheon:

The shaped metal fitting/backing behind a drawer pull or surrounding a keyhole. The term can also apply to a tiny plate that hangs over a keyhole to stop drafts from coming in.

European Style:

Sophisticated style with great attention to detail and ornamentation.

Fall Front:

The flap of a bureau or secrétaire that pulls down to provide a writing surface.

Fan Carving:

A carving composed of radiating lines in a half-round or fan-shaped pattern.

Fan Vaulting:

An intricate form of Tracery in which the ribs of a Vault arch out in a concave fan pattern.

Faux:

A simulation of something else. An example of this would be faux marble, which is a marble-like surface painted onto walls or other surfaces (see trompe l'oeil).

Feather Banding:

Two narrow bands of veneer in opposite diagonals.

Federal:

Design period following the American Revolution and running roughly through the early 1800's. Federal styles incorporate the neo-classical influences of Sheraton and Hepplewhite including straight and delicate lines, tapered legs, and contrasting veneers.

Ferrule:

Normally a metal cap attached to the end of a slender shaft for strength or to prevent splitting.

Festoon:

A curved garland of flowers or it can also refer to a strange bird.

Fiberboard:

A board made of compressed wood fibers and glue.

Fiddle Back:

A backsplat in the shape of a violin (fiddle) that is typically seen on Queen Anne chairs.

Fielded Panel:

A solid wood panel with molded or beveled outside edges and a flat, raised center section.

Figuring:

A pattern made by the natural grain of wood.

Filigree:

A decorative ornamentation that is often produced with fine wires of gold or silver.

Fillet:

Delicate adornment strips applied to shafts and archways along the moldings.

Filling:

A step in the manufacturing finishing process where the filling of natural pores in wood allows the surface to become smoother and more reflective.

Finger Joint:

A joint in which two pieces of wood are cut in an elongated zigzag pattern and joined glue.

Finial:

A decorative detail that has carved or shaped to ornament the top of an upright piece such as a bedpost. Finials are commonly found in the opening of a broken pediment or on the topping a lamp. Common motifs include flames, urns, and pineapples.

Finnish Style:

Finnish furniture designers used bent and laminated (layers of solid wood) woods to create organic, humanistic forms and lightweight open shapes. These designers were also the first to experiment with tubular steel in furniture design.

Fireplace Surround:

Trim or decorative carving and woodworking surrounding a fireplace; may include the mantel and areas directly adjacent to the fireplace, above, or towards either side.

Flamboyant Style:

The closing period of French Gothic during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. A style characterized by tracery designs that resemble upward spiraling flames, dominant in the north of France. A classic example of this work is the north spire of Chartres, which stands in evident contrast to the remainder of the cathedral, completed two centuries before.

Flame Finial:

A spiral twist ornament used as a terminating motif. Usually on bonnet tops atop urn-shaped finials.

Flame Stitch:

A wavy angular pattern that looks like the shape of a flickering flame, normally found on brocade fabrics.

Flare:

The outward concave curve of a furniture leg.

Flemish:

Furniture produced by the craftsman of Flanders, Belgium, which was more influential that it was an actual period of design. Generally, Flemish furniture is associated with the Dutch renaissance and it differed in many respects due the French influence. Flemish pieces are recognized for elaborate and skilled carving.

Fluting:

Parallel concave grooves that commonly used to ornament the surface of columns, posts, or panels. May be hand carved on antique or reproduction furniture, commonly made using a router on modern works.

Flying Buttress:

A masonry support branching from the sturdy piers and vertical Standing buttresses. Their role is to transfer the great weight of the vaulted roofs off to this more solid support of the firmly set abutments. In French

Foils:

A small arc design used in Tracery, often utilized within Rose Windows.

Foliage:

Leaves, as of a plant or tree.

Four Poster:

A bed with posts tall enough to hold a canopy. The original purpose includes a fine insect netting to protect against insect bites while sleeping during spring and summer months. The concept evolved to just a canopy for purely decorative purposes.

Frame:

This usually refers to the boards that support the seat of a chair.

French Classic:

This furniture was more of an influence that an actual style. All ornamentation was classic and symmetrical and often featured geometric marquetry. This style was predominant during the mid to late 1800's and was inspired by the Italian imitation of antiquity.

French Empire:

Style of the early 1800's that expressed the imperial ambitions of Napoleon created at his command. Inspired by classic Greek and roman design and is considered as grandiose yet dignified. Motifs are symbolic of torches, roman eagles, empire-wreaths, sphinx, lions and the letter "n" (for napoleon of course). Tops are of often of marble, curving is minimized, and metal feet are common. Predominant woods used were mahogany, rosewood and ebony.

French Polishing:

Treating a wooden surface with French polish to give it a highly reflective, smooth finish.

French Provincial:

Rustic versions of formal French furnishings of the 1600's and 1700's, such as the Louis xiv and Louis xv styles. Early French provincial pieces were considered as peasant furniture.

French Regence:

Popular in Europe during the early 1700's. Departs in design from Louis xiv pieces, while maintaining many of the basic forms. Style generally features beautiful curves and elaborate decoration. This style introduced rococo ornamentation and new pieces including commodes, chiffoniers and secretaries.

French Renaissance:

Style dating from the mid 1400's to the early 1600's. Influenced by Italian design, although the pieces were smaller in scale than furniture from the Italian renaissance. Noted for elaborate and skilled carving, progresses in textile manufacturing and the weaving of tapestries. Oak is mainly used on earlier pieces and walnut in the later ones, which are known for excessive decoration.

Fresco:

A durable painting technique for walls and ceilings, created by blending watercolors directly into wet plaster. The technique of blending wet plaster with water based paint. As the plaster dries it becomes a lasting surface base. The term applies to the technique as well as the painting itself.

Fretwork:

An open or pierced woodcarving with an oriental influence, primarily used as a decorative element in Chippendale-style furniture.

Frieze:

A decorated horizontal band attached or painted along the top of a wall, usually ornamented.

Full-Forward Arm:

An arm extending continuously from the back to the front of a piece of furniture.

Gadroon Molding:

A rounded molding that is carved in convex curves.

Gainsborough Chair:

A deep armchair with an upholstered seat and back, padded open arms, and carved decoration.

Gallery Rail:

A small slender railing, usually brass, that borders a sideboard or table.

Gallery Top:

A miniature railing placed along the edge of a shelf or tabletop.

Gargoyle:

From the French term gargouille, meaning throat. The word refers to sound which water makes as it passes through the gullet. Originally, a reference to the drains atop cathedrals that were later carved into the form of beasts or animals.

Gateleg Table:

A style of drop-leaf table with leaves that are supported by extra legs that swing out like gates.

Gel Stain:

is formulated to be a rapid drying, controllable, multipurpose, gelled stain primarily for use on difficult-to-stain surfaces, such as composition or fiberglass projects. Excellent for use on fiberglass or plastic doors and trim. Gel Stain is the choice of the professional and homeowner for the project with special requirements.

Georgian:

Elegant design of the 1700's, which is heavier and more ornate than Queen Anne. Georgian features include elaborately carved cabriole legs, ball and claw feet, pierced backsplats and ornate carving.

Gesso:

A painted or gilded bas-relief plaster decoration.

Gilding:

A coating with a thin layer of gold or gold-like substance.

Glaze:

A coloring technique used in the finishing process of furniture to highlight the grain characteristics of wood or to give a high sheen to leather.

Goose-Neck Arm:

A chair with curved wooden arms resembling a goose's neck.

Gothic Art:

Seldom separated from the building craft of the Cathedrals, the term is used loosely to refer to religious European art forms of the 12th through 16th centuries. Other mediums utilized extensively during this period, and within similar manner, were Painting, Tapestry, Metalwork, Glasswork and Manuscript Illumination.

Gothic Revival:

Style influenced by gothic and medieval influences popular in the mid-1800s, this style is characterized by lines flowing up to a pointed arch or other architectural features.

Gothic:

Pieces from this period (late 1100's to early 1500's) were straight, large and heavy. Many of these pieces were produced in monasteries, which explains the ornamental carvings of canonical figures. This period produced trestle tables, cupboards and stools. Oak and pine were the primary woods of choice.

Gouache:

An opaque water-based paint in which the pigments are bound with glue.

Grain:

The direction of the fibers in wood. Flat grain wood is sawed perpendicular to the growth rings. Edge grain wood has been sawed parallel to the growth rings.

Grand Rapids Style:

Style inspired by several furniture factories in Grand Rapid Michigan at the turn of the 20^th century, and is still popular today. These factories produced pieces that were usually in oak, and finished in a light color. This style is produced in many styles, with the most popular being the oak pedestal table.

Greek Style:

Dating from the 9th century B.C. with Egyptian roots. Characterized by use of bronze animal legs, gilding,