U UMBRELLA STAND Originally a simple receptacle for holding umbrellas and walking sticks which developed into an item of hall furniture during the 19th Century.
UNDERBRACING Using stretchers to strengthen a piece of furniture.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION Refers to the springs and framing in the back and seat of upholstered furniture.
URN A motif much used as decoration during the classical revival of the later 18th century and particularly associated with Adam.
UPRIGHT Vertical post, such as the outer posts in a chair back.
V VAISSELIER A tall, two-piece hutch or china cabinet. 18th and 19th century French furniture form consisting of two shelves which sits on a buffet base. A buffet deux corps used to store dishes. Comes from the French word "vaisselle" meaning dishes.
VALANCE An over drapery treatment made of fabric or wood; designed to conceal hardware and fixtures while providing a decorative touch. Also refers to the drapery of a canopy bed.
VANITY Modern name for a dressing table.
VARNISH Clear finish material made of gum or sap dissolved in linseed oil, used as top coat on wood. Usually applied in a thin film, it protects and enhances the beauty of the wood.
VARQUENO or BARGUENO Spanish drop front writing and storage desk on a stand. Dating from the sixteenth century, it consists of a square or rectangular top, the flap-front of which conceals drawers. When opened, the flap-top is supported by lopers to form a writing-desk. The whole piece rests on an open or cupboard-like stand.
VASE SPLAT Describing a chair with a back splat whose silhouette suggests that of a vase or urn.
VELOUR Plush fabric resembling velvet, but somewhat coarser in texture, often made of wool or mohair.
VELVET Fabric with soft close pile. Usually made of silk or rayon. See also Velveteen.
VELVETEEN Similar fabric to velvet, but made of cotton.
VENEER A thinly cut slice of decoratively grained wood, often exotic woods, permanently bonded to a stronger, thicker, solid wood or plywood backing. Veneer is durable, stronger than solid wood and available at much less cost; technique was popular in Europe from the 17th Century. The thickness of the veneer is an indication of it’s age as veneer has progressively becoming thinner as technology provided means to cut thinner and thinner layers.
VENEERING Furniture-making technique which consists of affixing a thin layer or strips of fine wood to the surface of a piece of furniture, this usually of a coarser wood. Valuable woods such as mahogany, rosewood, walnut and satinwood were used to cover a cheaper carcase, often at the same time concealing construction detail. First used in ancient Egypt, and then in Classical Greece and Rome, but not again until the 17th century in the Netherlands.
VENETIAN FURNITURE Name applied to the extravagantly carved and ornamented furniture of baroque and rococo influence, produced in Italy during the late Renaissance.
VERNIS MARTIN A sophisticated japanning technique developed by the Martin brothers in France c.1730. This form of reproducing the effect of Oriental lacquer reached the height of its popularity in mid-eighteenth-century France.
VERRE EGLOMISE Technique widely used a turn of the eighteenth century to produce highly decorative mirrors. Gold or silver foil was applied to the mirror back and engraved with a needle before placing black or another contracting color behind the foil. This was then enclosed with a second layer of glass or a coating of varnish
VICTORIAN or Victorian Style A term used to describe British furniture made during the greater part of the 19th century, roughly the period covered by the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Pieces typically are formal, massive in proportion, elaborately decorated and richly upholstered. A furniture style named for England's Queen Victoria.
VINE MOTIF Running band ornament of grapevines and leaves.
VITRINE French term for a display cabinet with clear glass set into a carved panel door, sometimes with glass sides and top, which stood independently or on a stand. Comes from the French word "vitre," meaning a glass pane. Glass display cabinet with shelves on which to display porcelain, figurines, china, silver, curios, etc; normally 18th and 19th century.
VITRUVIAN SCROLL Repeating pattern resembling a series of ‘C’ scrolls or waves in a band. Of classical origin, it was commonly used on eighteenth-century furniture. This pattern is also called running dog.
VOLUTE An ornamental form of spiral scroll, often very ornate, adopted from Ionic capitals in Greek architecture.
VOLUTE FOOT Outward-scrolling foot popular on Baroque furniture.
W WALNUT Often favored for fine furniture, walnut has a faint grain and coarse with scattered pores. It varies in color from light to dark brown.
WARDROBE A large cabinet in which to hang clothes and store small clothing items.
WARP 1) The bulging or twisting of wood due to uneven changes in moisture content. 2) Threads that run lengthwise across the weave of a fabric.
WASHSTAND Small table or cabinet holding a basin and the accessories for washing. First developed during the 18th Century.
WATER GILDING Thin deposits of gold and mercury on ormolu mounts resembling drops of water.
WHEAT EAR A motif carved in the form of an ear of wheat, often used on late-18th century shield-shaped chair backs.
WINE TASTING TABLE A small, round or slightly oval table for use in the wine cellar. The top is hinged so that it may flip up or down, flush with the table base. With the top tilted down, the table can be easily stored along a wall.
WEBBING Strips of fabric (often linen or jute), rubber, or plastic interwoven and attached to upholstered furniture's frame to support the spring and filler.
WEBFOOT Grooved or carved foot that resembles an animal's webbed foot. Seen often on cabriole legs.
WEFT Threads that run crosswise across the weave of a fabric. Sometimes called the Woof.
WELT A strip of fabric, resembling a cord, sewn between two pieces of upholstery fabric to give a more finished appearance to the seam; usually made by covering a cord with a tube of fabric. Narrow fabric edging or fabric-covered cord, sewn into the seams of upholstery as decorative trim.
WHATNOT A lightweight piece of occasional furniture made up of a tier of open shelves. Used to display curios.
WHEEL BACK A chair with a round or oval back whose radiating design suggests the spokes of a wheel.
WHORL FOOT A foot consisting of an upturned scroll; also called a knurl foot.
WING CHAIR A large, comfortable, high backed upholstered lounge chair with wings on either side
of the chair back, usually overstuffed. Originally designed to block drafts.
WINGED CLAW Heavy couch foot used in Empire sofas and other massive pieces.
WOOF See Weft.
WORKTABLE A small table fitted with accessories for needlework, often made with one or two drawers, and frequently a suspended fabric workbag.
WRITING DESK Flat top desk or table sized for writing. Usually fitted with drawers or compartments for holding writing materials.
WROUGHT IRON A commercial form of iron that is tough, malleable, and relatively soft.
X X-CHAIR Ancient type of chair with an X-shaped base, whose shape is reminiscent of the folding chair. Popular from Ancient Egypt, through the Middle Ages, thru today.
X-FRAME Arrangement of diagonal stretchers joining the front and back legs of a piece of furniture and crossing to form an X.
X-FRAME CHAIR An X-shaped, often folding, structure was used to support this type of chair or stool, also called a cucurule. Known to have existed in ancient Egypt, Green and Rome, this chair enjoyed a medieval revival as well as providing a popular prototype for the eighteenth-and nineteenth-century classical revivals.
X-STRETCHER Crossed stretchers, which form an X shape. Sometimes called a Saltier.
Y YARN-DYED A technique for coloring textiles that involves dying the yarn prior to weaving or knitting. Yarn-dyed, woven textiles are often more fade-resistant than batch-dyed or printed textiles.
YEW A dense, strong British softwood, close grained and golden brown in color. It is often nicely figured with twisted trunks. Yew polishes to a fine finish. A popular choice for provencal furniture since the 16th century and for drawer knobs and spindles in the 17th century. Windsor chairs were mostly made of yew. The knotted burr wood is often used as a veneer.
Z ZEBRAWOOD An African or Brazilian wood that has a light sapwood and a dark grain, producing zebra-like strips when quarter sawn. Zebrawood is hard and heavy with dark stripes and mostly seen in banding and inlay. Used as a veneer in the 18th century for complete bureaux, desk and table surfaces. Also known as tigerwood.
ZIGZAG Molding or stitching with a series of frequent sharp turns from side to side.
GLOSSARY A - F GLOSSARY G - M GLOSSARY N - T
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