A-Z Antiques & Collectibles glossary

A glossary of antique terms, phrases and meaning.

A

• Abalone
  • A small marine snail whose shell is used for ornament or decoration
• Abrash
  • Tone differences within the color of a rug, normally due to variations in the dyes.
• Acid Engraving
  • Technique of decorating glass by coating it in resin, incising a design and exposing the revealed areas to hydrochloric acid fumes.
• Acid Gilding
  • 19th century technique for decorating pottery whereby the surface is etched with hydroflouric acid and the low-relief pattern gilded
• Acorn Knop
  • Wine glass stem in the shape of an uptorned acorn with the cup uppermost
• Agate Ware
  • 18th century pottery veined or marbled to look like agate
• Air-beaded
  • Glass containing bubbles of air to resemble strings of beads
• Air-twist
  • Helical decoration in the stem of wine glasses developed in the mid-1700's, in which an air bubble in the glass is drawn out and twisted to form spirals.
• Albarello
  • A pottery vessel, sometimes in the shape of an hourglass, used for storing pharmecutical ingredients.
• Ale Glass
  • Drinking glass with a tall stem and a tall, narrow bowl, with a capacity of 3-4 ounces, used for strong beer, often decorated with images of barley and hops from the 18th century.
• All-bisque Doll
  • Doll with body, limbs and head made of buiscuit fired ceramic.
• Amboyna
  • Yellowish-brown burred wood imported from the West Indies and often used as a veneer
• American Victorian
  • The period between 1830-1900 that incorporates several styles of furniture: Victorian, Gothis, Victorian Rococo, Victorian Renaissance ans Eastlake.
• Americana
  • Antiques and collectibles that reflect the growth and character of American culture.
• Amish
  • Followers of Jacob Amman who made up a religious sect that settled in Pennsylvania during the 1700's. They produce quilts and other simply designed handicrafts that are highly prized.
• Anchor Escapement
  • Said to have been invented about 1670 by Robert Hook or William Clement. A type of escape mechanism shaped like an anchor, which engages at precise intervals with the toothed escape wheel. The anchor permits the use of a pendulum (either long or short) and gives greater accuracy than was possible with the verge escapement
• Arabesque
  • Scrolling foliate decoration
• Architect's Table
  • Table or desk, the top of which adjusts to provide an angled work area.
• Arita
  • Name of a district in Hizen province on the island of Kyushu located in South-west Japan, famous for it's porcelain manufacture. Also used as generic term for blue and white or polychrome porcelain produced for the Japanese home market.
• Armoire
  • A large French cupboard or wardrobe, usually very large.
• Associated
  • Term used in antiques in which one part of an item is of the same design, but not originally made for it.
• Astrolabe
  • Ancient instrument used to calculate the position of the stars and other measurements.
• Aubusson
  • French town, the center of production of tapestries and tapestry-weave carpets since the 17th century although formal workshops were not established until circa 1743
• Automaton
  • Any moving toy or decorative object, usually powered by a clockwork mechanis

B

• Ball-jointed Doll
  • A doll with ball-jointed limbs, able to swivel in all directions, as opposed to siff-jointed
• Baluster Stem
  • Glass with a swelling stem, like an architectural baluster. Considerd a "true" baluster stem if the thicker swelling is beneath, "inverted" if above. From the late 17th century.
• Barbotine
  • French word for majolica
• Barley-twist
  • Form of turning popular in the late 17th century which resembles a spiral of traditional barley sugar.
• Basalt(es)
  • Black stoneware with a smooth, stone-like finish; perfected by Josiah Wedgewood
• Bauhaus
  • An influential art school established in Germany in 1919. The name is now almost synonymous with design style
• Bebe
  • Type of French doll made by Bru and others in the latter half of the 19th century, modelled on idealized children between 8-12 years old
• Bezel
  • The ring, usually brass surrounding the dial of a clock and securing the glass cover.
• Bianco-sopra-bianco
  • Literally white on white, used in ceramics to describe an opaque white pattern painted on an off-white background.
• Bisque
  • French term for biscuit ware, or unglazed porcelain
• Bladed Knop
  • Knop with a concave outward curve, ending in a sharp edge
• Bluejohn
  • A blue or purple variety of flourspar mined in Derbyshire, used for vases, tazza, small ornaments, etc.
• Bombe'
  • Outswelling, curving or bulging. Term used to describe a chest with a bulging front. In fashion from Louis XV period.
• Bonheur du Jour
  • Small French writing table of delicate proportions with a raised back comprising a cabinet or shelves
• Borne
  • French sofa, either round or oval, with a pillar in the center, and seating all the way around.
• Boteh
  • A stylised floral bush similar to a paisley design found on rugs
• Bowfront
  • An outwardly curving front
• Bracket Clock
  • Originally a 17th century clock which had to be set high up on a bracket because of the length of the weights; now sometimes applied to any mantel or table clock
• Buffet
  • A piece of furniture comprising a number of drawers or shelves - typically open
• Bureau Bookcase
  • Bureau with a glazed fronted bookcase fitted above it
• Bureau Cabinet
  • Bureau with a solid doored or mirrored cabinet fitted above it, often containing further fitted cupboards or drawers.
• Bureau de Dame
  • Writing desk of delicate appearance and designed for use by ladies. Usually raised above slender cabriole legs and with one or two external drawers
• Bureau-plat
  • French writing table with a flat top and drawers in the frieze
• Busby
  • A military fur hat with a bag hanging from one side, often with a plume. Worn originally by 18th Century Hungarian hussars.
    

C

• Cabaret Set
  • A tea set on a tray for three or more people
• Caddy
  • A container for tea, usually silver but also ceramic, wood or enamel. Wooden caddies are usually fitted with two compartments and contain a spoon and glass bowl for blending two types of tea leaf
• Cadogan
  • Lidless, peach-shaped teapot which is held upside down to be filled a the base. A tube leading up from the base ensures the contents do not spill when it is upright. Said to have been inspired by a Chinese wine pot.
• Calamander
  • A hardwood, imported from Sri Lanka (of the same family as ebony), used in the Regency period for making small articles of furniture, as a veneer and for crossbanding
• Camaieu
  • Porcelain decoration using different tones of a single color
• Cameo Glass
  • Two or more layers of colored glass in which the top layer/s are then cut or etched away to create a multi-colored design in relief. An ancient technique popular with Art Nouveau glassmakers in the early 20th century.
• Candle Slide
  • Small wooden slide designed to carry a candlestick.
• Carlton House Desk
  • A distinct type of writing desk which has a raised back at with drawers extending forward at the sides to create an "enclosed" writing area. Named after the Prince Regent's London home.
• Carousel Figures
  • Horses and other animals from fairground carousels or roundabouts, usually classifed as either "jumpers" or "standers" depending on their pose.
• Carte-de-visite
  • Portrait photograph, usually full length, but occasionally head and shoulders, mounted on a small card. Mass-produced during the mid-19th century.
• Cartouche
  • An ornate tablet or shield surrounded by scrollwork and foliage, often bearing an inscription, monogram or coat of arms.
• Caryatid
  • Strictly a female figure used as a support in place of a column, but frequently used to describe a figure of either sex
• Cased Glass
  • One layer of glass, often colored, sandwiched between two plain glass layers or vice versa, the outer layer engraved to create a decorative effect. This is an ancient technique revived in the 19th century.
• Castelli
  • Maiolica from the Abruzzi region of Italy, noted for the delicate landscapes painted by members of the Grue family
• Caudle Cup
  • Two-handled drinking mug of the 17th and 18th centuries, often with a lid.
• Celadon
  • Chinese stonewares with an opaque grey-green glaze, first made in the Sung dynasty and still made today, principally in Korea
• Cellaret
  • Lidded container on legs designed to hold wine. The interior is often divided into sections for individual bottles
• Chaise Lounge
  • An elongated chair, the seat long enough to support the sitter's legs
• Champleve'
  • Enameling on copper or bronze, similar to cloisonne', in which a glass paste is applied to the hollowed out design, fired and ground smooth
• Chapter Ring
  • The circular ring on a clock dial on which the hours and minutes are engraved, attached or painted.
• Character Doll
  • One with a naturalistic face, especially laughing, crying, pouting, etc.
• Character Jug
  • 20th century earthenware jugs and sometimes mugs, depicting a popular character, such as a politician, general, jockey, or actor.
• Chasing
  • Technique for ornamenting silver by indenting the metal in linear patterns with a hammer and punches.
• Chesterfield
  • Type of large, overstuffed, button-backed sofa introduced in the late 19th century.
• Chiffonier
  • Generally a twin door cupboard with one or two drawers above and surmounted by shelves.
• Chimera
  • Decorative motif which originated in classical mythology; combines the features of a winged goat or lion with a serpent's tail.
• Chinese Export Porcelain
  • 16th - 18th century wares made in china specifically for export and often in European designs.
• Chinese Imari
  • Chinese imitations of Japanese blue, red and gold painted Imari wares, made from the early 18th century.
• Chinoiserie
  • The fashion, prevailing in the late 18th century, for Chinese-style ornamentation in porcelain, wallpapers and fabrics, furniture and garden architecture.
• Chromes
  • Term for modern postcards published from about 1940 on, photos with shiny finish.
• Chryselephantine
  • Originally a combination of gold and ivory, but now a term used for Art Deco statues made of ivory and a metal, usually bronze.
• Cistern Tube
  • A mercury tube fitted into stick barometers, the lower end of which is sealed into a boxwood cistern.
• Claw-and-ball Foot
  • A carved foot, shaped like a ball held in a talon or claw.
• Cleat
  • A strip of wood attached to the edge of a flat surface across the grain for neatness and extra strength.
• Clock Garniture
  • A matching group of clock and vases or candelabra made for the mantel shelf, often highly ornate.
• Clock Jack
  • Windup instrument with springs for turning a spit over an open fire.
• Cloisonne'
  • Enamelling on metal with divisions in the design separated by lines of fine metal wire. A specialty of the Limoges region of France in teh Middle Ages, and of Chinese craftsmen to the present day.
• Cocuswood
  • Wood from a tropiocal American tree, used for inlay, turning, musical instruments, etc.
• Coffer
  • By strict definition, a coffer is a travelling trunk whicg is banded by metalwork and covered with leather or other material. However, the word tends to be used to describe various kinds of chests without drawers.
• Coiffeuse
  • A french term for a dressing table
• Colonial
  • An American object made in the style of the period when the country consisted of 13 colonies, usually of the 17th century or early 18th century.
• Commedia dell'Artre
  • Figures from traditional Italian theater (Harlequin, Columbine, Scaramouche, Pantaloon) often depicted in 18th century porcelain groups.
• Compote
  • A dish on a supporting stem or a stand usually used to hold fruit ,candy or sometimes relishes, in which case the dish or bowl may be divided or segmented.
• Cordial Glass
  • Smaller version of a wine glass, with a thick stem, heavy foot and small bowl; evolved in the 17th century for strong drink.
• Coromandel
  • Imported wood from the Coromandel coast of India, of similar blackish appearance to calamander and used from circa 178- for banding, and for small pieces of furniture.
• Country Furniture
  • General term for furniture made by provincial craftsmen; cottage furniture and especially that made of pine, oak, elm and the fruitwoods.
• Countwheel
  • A wheel with segments cust out of the edge or with pins fitted to one face, which controls the striking of a clock. Also known as a locking plate.
• Credenza
  • Used today to describe a type of side cabinet which is highly decorated and shaped. Originally it was an Italian sideboard and used as a serving table.
• Crested China
  • Porcelain decorated with colorful heraldic crests, first made by Goss but by 1900, being produced in quantity by manufacturers throughout the UK and Germany.
• Cup-and-cover
  • Carved decoration found on the bulbous turned legs of some Elizabethan furniture.
• Cut Glass
  • Glass carved with revolving wheels and abrasive to create sharp-edged facets that reflect and refract light so as to sparkle and achieve a prismatic effect. Revived in Bohemia in the 17th century and common until superseded by pressed glass for utilitarian objects.
• Cymric
  • The trade name used by Liberty & Co. for a mass produced range of silverware, inspired by Celtic art, introduced in 1899 and often incorporating enamelled pictorial plaques.
    

D

• Daisho
  • A matching pair of samurai swords or a sword and dagger set. From the 15th century.
• Deadbeat Escapement
  • A type of anchor escapement possibly invented by George Graham and used in precision pendulum clocks.
• Delft
  • Dutch tin-glazed earthenwares named after the town of Delft, the main production area, from the 16th century onwards. Similar pottery made in England from the late 16th century is also termed delft or "delftware".
• Della Robbia
  • Florentine Renaissance sculptor who invented techniques of applying vitreous glaze to terracotta; English art pottery made at Birkenhead in the late 19th century, in imitation of his work.
• Deltiology
  • The hobby of collecting postcards
• Deutsche Blumen
  • Painted naturalistic flowers, single or in bunches, used as porcelain decoration at Meissen in the mid-18th century.
• Diaper
  • Surface decoration composed of repeated diamonds or squares, often carved in low relief.
• Die-stamping
  • Method of mass producing a design on metal by machine which passes sheet metal between a steel die and a drop hammer. Used for forming toys as well as cutlery, etc.
• Drop-in-seat
  • Upholstered chair seat which is supported on seat rails but which can be lifted out independently.
    

E

• Ecuelle
  • 17th and 18th century vessel, usually of silver, but also of ceramic, for serving soup. Has a shallow circular bowl with two handles and a domed cover. It also comes complete with a stand.
• Electroplate
  • The process of using electrical current to coat a base metal or alloy with silver or gold, invented in the 1830's and gradually superseding Sheffield plate.
• Enamel
  • Colored glass, applied to metal, ceramic or glass in paste form and then fired for decorative effect.
• Entablature
  • The part of a structure which surmounts a column and rests on the capital; the cornice, frieze and architrave.
• EPNS
  • Electroplated nickel silver; i.e. nickel alloy covered with a layer of silver using the electroplate process.
• Escapement
  • The means or device which regulates the release of the power of a timepiece to it's pendulum or balance.

F

• Faience
  • "An earthenware product covered with a tin-enamelled (stanniferous) glaze" (Ref: French Faience Fantaisie et Populaire of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Millicent Mali, United Printing, 1986.
• Fairings
  • Mold made figure groups in cheap porcelain, produced in great quantity in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially in Germany; often humorous and sentimental. So called because they were sold, or given away as prizes at fairs.
• Famille Jaune
  • "Yellow Family"; Chinese porcelain vessels in which yellow is the predominant ground color.
• Famille Noir
  • "Black Family"; Chinese porcelain in which black is the predominant ground color.
• Famille Rose
  • "Pink Family"; Chinese porcelain in which pink to purple is the predominant ground color.
• Famille Verte
  • "Green Family"; Chinese porcelain in which green is the predominant ground color overlaid with yellows, blues, purples and iron red.
• Fauteuil
  • French open-armed drawing room chair.
• Fiddleback
  • Descriptive of a particular grain of mahogany veneer which resembles the back of a violin.
• Fielded Panel
  • A panel with bevelled or champfered edges.
• Filigree
  • Lacy openwork of silver or gold thread, produced in large quantities since the end of the 19th century.
• Flag Bottom Chair
  • Chair made with a rush seat.
• Flatware
  • (1) Collective name for flat pottery such as plates, dishes and saucers, as opposed to cups, vases and bowls. (2) Cutlery.
• Flow Blue
  • A process used principally after 1840, in which flowing powder is added to the dye used in blue and white transferware so that the blue flows beyond the edges of the transfer, rendering the pattern less sharply defined. Items using this process were made primarily for the American market.
• Fluted
  • A border that resembles a scalloped edge, used as a decoration on furniture, glass, silver and porcelain items.
• Frigger
  • A decorative, but impracticle object created from the end of day "leftover" glass to showw off the skill of the glass blower. Typical items include ships, pipes, hats, musical instruments, etc.
• Frosted Glass
  • Glass with a surface pattern made to resemble frost patterns or snow crystals; common on pressed glass vessels for serving cold confections.
• Frozen Charlotte
  • One-piece china doll with no moveable parts.
• Fuddling Cup
  • A novelty vessel often with three or more small cups that had interlinked handles. The idea was to drink from one cup without spilling the contents of the others. From the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Fusee
  • 18th century clockwork invention; a cone shaped drum, linked to the spring barrel by a length of chain or gut. The shape compensates for the declining strength of the mainspring thus ensuring constant timekeeping.
    

G

• Gadroon
  • A border or ornament comprising radiating lobes of either straight or curved form, used from the late Elizabethan period on.
• Gesso
  • A plaster like coating used on wood before gilding, painting or applying inlay. Usually composed of plaster or can be made by heating glue and adding whiting or powdered chalk.It is believed that this process was developed in Italy or France. No date of origin is known for sure , but it is quite possible it was the 16th or 17th century.
• Gilding
  • Process of applying thin gold foil to a surface.
• Girandole
  • A carved and gilt candle sconce incorporating a mirror, often of asymetrical design.
• Glasgow School
  • A term used to describe the style developed in the late 19th century by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his followers, a simplified linear form of Art Nouveau highly influential in the Continental work of the period.
• Grisaille
  • Monochrome decoration, usually gray, used on ceramics and furniture during the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Gueridon
  • A small circular table designed to carry some form of lighting.
• Gul
  • From the persian word for flower - usually used to describe a geometric flowerhead on a rug.
    

H

• Hallmark
  • Collective term for all the marks found on gold and silver.
• Hand-pressed
  • Any glass object made in a hand operated press rather than a machine press.
• Hard Paste
  • True porcelain made of china stone (petuntse) and kaolin; the formula was long known and kept a secret by Chinese potters but only discovered in the 1720's in Europe. Recognized by it's hard, glossy feel.
• Hardwood
  • One of two basic categories of timber. Trees which replace their leaves every year.
• Harewood
  • Sycamore which has been stained a greenish color. It is used mainly as an inlay and was known as silverwood in the 18th century.
• Hausmaler
  • The German term for an independent painter or workshop specializing in the decoration of faience, porcelain or glass blanks.
• Herati
  • An overall repeating design of a flowerhead within a lozenge issuing small leaves. Used in descriptions of rugs.
• Hirado
  • Japanese porcelain with fugure and landscape painting in blue on a white body, often depicting boys at play, made exclusively for the Lords of Hirado, near Arita, in the mid 18th to mid 19th centuries.
    

I

• Imari
  • Export Japanese porcelain of predominately red, blue and gold decoration which although made in Arita, is called Imari after the port from which it was shipped.
• Indianische Blumen
  • Indian Flowers; painting on porcelain in the Oriental style, especially on mid 18th century Meissen.
• Intaglio
  • Incised gem stone, often set in a ring, used in antiquity and during the Renaissance as a seal. Any incised decoration; the opposite of carving in relief.
• Ironstone
  • Stoneware, patented 1813 by Charles James Mason, containing ground glassy slag, a by-product of iron smelting, for extra strength.
    

J

• Jacobite Glass
  • Wine Glasses engraved with symbols of the Jacobites (supporters of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's claim to the English throne). Genuine examples date from 1746 to 1788. Countless later copies and forgeries exist.
• Jadeite
  • A type of jade, normally the best and most desirable.
• Jugendstile
  • German Art Nouveau style.
    

K

• Kakiemon
  • Family of 17th century Japanese porcelain decorators who produced wares decorated with flowers and figures on a white ground in distinctive colors: azure, yellow, turquoise and soft red. Widely imitated in Europe.
• Kakihan
  • mark of Japanese artist, used to identify metalwork, netsuke, ceramics and lacquer
• Kilim/Kelim
  • Flat woven rugs lacking a pile; also the flat woven fringe used to finish off the ends of a pile carpet.
• Kiku Mon
  • Japanese stylized chrysanthemum.
• Knop
  • Knob, a protuberance or swelling in the stem of a wine glass, of various forms which can be used as an aid to dating and provenance.
• Kovsh
  • A Russian vessel used for measuring drink, often highly decorated for ornamental purposes. From the late 18th century.
• Kraak Porselin
  • A Dutch term for porcelain raided from Portugese ships, used to describe the earliest Chinese porcelain.
• Krater
  • An ancient Greek vessel for mixing water abd wine in which the mouth is always the widest part.
• Kufic
  • Angular Arabic script, used in rugs to refer to a stylized geometric calligraphy.
    

L

• Lambing Chair
  • Sturdy chair with a low seat. Frequently over a drawer or cupboard, traditionally used by shepherds at lambing time. It has tall enclosed sides for protection against drafts.
• Laub und Bandwerk
  • Literally: leaf and strapwork; German term for baroque cartouches that surround a pictorial reserve on porcelain pieces.
• Linenfold
  • Carved decoration which resembles folded linen.
• Linens
  • Postcards published from approx. 1930-45 which have a fabric-like finish.
• Lopers
  • Sliding wooden rails supporting the desk panel of a bureau or the leaf of a folding table.
• Lorgnette
  • A pair of opera glasses, or spectacles, mounted on a handle.
    

M

• Made Up
  • Term used to describe a piece of furniture that has been put together from parts of other pieces of furniture.
• Maiolica
  • Tin glazed earthenware produced in Italy from the 15th century through the present.
• Majolica
  • A heavily potted, molded earthenware covered in transparent glazes in distinctive, often sombre colors, developed by the Minton factory in the mid 19th century.
• Marriage
  • The joining together of two unrelated parts to form one piece of furniture.
• Marvering
  • An ancient technique where hot threads of softened glass are rolled over a flat surface to smooth and fuse the glass and to fix trailed decoration.
• Mater
  • A thick, round plate on an astrolabe with a shaped projection to take the suspension ring and which houses discs of brass engraved with scales.
• Mihrab
  • Prayer niche with a pointed arch; the motif which distinguishes a prayer rug from other types.
• Meiping
  • Chinese for cherry blossom, used to describe a tall vase, with high shoulders, small neck and narrow mouth, used to display flowering branches.
• Millefiori
  • Multi-colored, or mosaic glass, made since antiquity by fusing a number of colored glass rods into a cane and cutting thin sections, used often to decorate paperweights.
    

N

• Netsuki
  • Japanese carved toggles made to secure sagemono ("Hanging things") to the obi (waist belt) from a cord; usually of ivory, lacquer, silver or wood from the 16th century.
• Niello
  • A black metal alloy or enamel used for filling in engraved designs on silverware.
• Nulling
  • Decorative carving in the form of irregular fluting which is usually found on early oak furniture.
    

O

• Oinochoe
  • In ancient times, a small jug with handles.
• Okimono
  • A small finely carved Japanese ornament.
• Ormulu
  • Strictly, gilded bronze but sometimes used loosely for any yellow metal.
• Overlay
  • In cased glass, the top layer, usually engraved to reveal a different colored layer beneath.
• Overmantel
  • Area above the shelf on a mantelpiece, often consisting of a mirror in an ornate frame, or some architectural feature in wood or stone.
• Overstuffed
  • Descriptive of upholstered furniture where the covering extends over the frame of the seat.
• Ovolo
  • (1) Molding of convex quarter circle section. Sometimes found around the edges of drawres to form a small overlap onto the carcase. (2) Small oval convex molding chiefly used in repetition.
    

P

• Palmette
  • In rugs, a cross section through a stylized flowerhead or fruit.
• Papier Mache'
  • Molded paper pulp.
• Parisienne Doll
  • French Bisque head fashion doll with a stuffed kid leather body, made by various manufacturers between 1860 and 1890.
• Pate
  • Crown of a doll's head to which was attached the wig or hair. Usually of cork in higher quality dolls.
• Pate-sur-pate
  • Much copied 19th century Sevres porcelain technique of applying colored clay to the body before firing.
• Percussion Lock
  • Early 19th century firearm, one of the first to fired by the impact of a sharp-nosed hammer on the cartridge cap.
• Pewter
  • Alloy of tin and lead; the higher the tin content the higher the quality. Sometimes with small quantities od antimony added to make it harder with a highly polished surface.
• Pier Glass
  • Mirror designed to be fixed to the pier, or wall between two high window openings, often partnered with a matching pier table.
• Pole Screen
  • Small adjustable screen mounted on a pole and designed to stand in front of an open fire and shield a lady's face from the heat.
• Portrait Doll
  • Doll modelled after a well-known figure.
• Poupard
  • Doll without legs, often mounted on a stick. Popular in 19th century.
• Poured Wax Doll
  • One made by pouring melted wax into a mold.
• Powder Flask
  • Device for measuring out a precise quantity of priming powder and made to be suspended from a musketeer's belt or bandolier and often ornately decorated.
• Powder Horn
  • Hollowed out cow's horn, plugged at the wide end with a wooden piece and fitted with a measuring device at the narrow end, used by musketeers for dispensing a precise quantity of gunpowder.
• Pressed Glass
  • Early 19th century invention, exploited rapidly in America, wherby mechanical pressure was used to form glassware in a mold.
• Pung Seat
  • Removable wagon seat.
• Puzzle Jug
  • Type of jug made from the 17th century, especially in delft ware, with a siphon system and several spouts, none of which will pour unless the others are blocked.
• Pyx/Pyxis
  • A small box used in ancient times to hold medicines.
    

Q

• Quarter Clock
  • A clock which strikes the quarter and half hours as well as the full hours.
• Quarter-veneered
  • Four consecutively cut, and therefore identical, pieces of veneer laid at opposite ends to each other to give a mirrored effect.
    

R

• Rack
  • Tall superstructure above a dresser.
• Register Plate
  • The scale of a barometer against which the mercury level is read.
• Regulator
  • Clock of great accuracy, thus sometimes used for controlling or checking other timepieces.
• Rete
  • A skeletal brass disc which is placed over the plates of an astrolabe and which can be rotated to indicate the position of the stars.
• Rocaille
  • Shell and rock motifs found in rococo work.
• Rosette
  • A round floral design ornament.
• Roemer
  • Originally 16th/17th century German wide bowled wine glass on a thick stem, decorated with prunts on a base of concentric glass coils, often in green glass (Waldglas). Widely copied throughout Europe in many forms.
    

S

• Sabre Leg
  • Elegant curving leg associated with furniture of the Regency period but first appearing near the end of the 18th century. Also known as Trafalgar leg.
• Satinwood
  • A moderately hard, yellow or light brown wood, with a very close grain, found in central and southern India, Coromandel, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
• Scripophily
  • The collecting of antique stocks, bonds and other securities certificates.
• Seal Bottle
  • Wine bottles with an applied glass medallion or seal personalized with the owner's name, initials, coat of arms or a date. Produced from the early 17th to the mid 19th century when bottles were relatively expensive.
• SFBJ
  • Societe Francaise de Fabrication de Bebes et Jouets; association of doll makers founded 1899 by the merger of Jumeau, Bru and others.
• Shagreen
  • Skin of shark or ray fish, often used on sword grips and scabbards
• Sheraton Revival
  • Descriptive of furniture produced in the style of Sheraton when his designes gained revived interest during the late Victorian and Edwardian period.
• Siphon Tube
  • a U-shaped tube fitted into wheel barometers where the level of mercury in the short arm is used to measure air pressure.
• Six Hour Dial
  • Face of clock or timepiece with only six divisions instead of twelve, often with the hours 1-6 in Roman numerals and 7-12 superimposed in Arabic numerals.
• Soft Paste
  • An artificial porcelain made with the addition of ground glass, bone ash or soapstone. Used by most European manufacturers during the 18th century. Recognized by it's soft, soapy feel.
• Softwood
  • One of two basic categories of timber. The softwoods are conifers which generally have leaves in the form of needles, usually evergreen.
• Spandrel
  • Decoration in the corner of the field.
• Spelter
  • Zinc treated to look like bronze and used as an inexpensive substitute in Art Nouveau applique ornament and Art Deco figures.
• Splat
  • A broad flat piece of wood forming the center upright on a chair back. Origin apparently old english (middle).
• Standish
  • Term for pre-18th century silver inkstand.
• Stirrup Cup
  • Silver cup, without handles, so-called because it was served, containing a suitable beverage, tuo huntsmen in the saddle prior to their moving off. Often made in the shape of an animals head.
• Sympiesometer
  • An instrument that uses a gas and colored oil to record air pressure.
    

T

• Table Ambulante
  • A small table which can be easily moved.
• Table Clock
  • Early type of domestic clock, some say the predecessor of the watch, in which the dial is set horizontally, often of a drum shap.
• Tallboy
  • An American term for a chest-on-chest
• Tazza
  • Wide but shallow bowl on a stem with a foot; ceramic and metal tazzas were made in antiquity and the form was revived by Venetian glassmakers in the 15th century. Also made of silver from the 16th century.
• Tea Kettle
  • Silver or other metal, vessel intended for boiling water at the table. Designed to sit over a spirit lamp, it sometimes had a rounded base instead of flat.
• Teapoy
  • Piece of furniture in the form of a tea caddy on legs, with a hinged lid opening to reveal caddies, mixing bowl and other tea drinking accessories.
• Tear
  • Tear-drop shaped air bubble in teh stem of an early 18th century wine glass, from which the air-twist evolved.
• Term
  • A pillar or pedestal terminating in a human head or torso, usually topless.
• Tester
  • Wooden canopy over a bedstead supported on either two or four posts. May extend fully over the bed, known as a full tester, or only over the bedhead half, known as a half tester.
• Tete a Tete
  • A tea set for two people.
• Thuyawood
  • A reddish brown wood with distinctive small "bird's eye" markings, imported from Africa and often used as a veneer.
• Tin Glaze
  • Glassy opaque white glaze of tin oxide; re-introduced to Europe in 14th century by Moorish potters; the characteristic glaze of delft ware, faience, and maiolica.
• Touch
  • Maker's mark stamped on much, but not all, early English pewter. Their use was strictly controlled by the Pewterer's COmpany of London: early examples consist of initials, later ones are more elaborate and pictorial, sometimes including the maker's address.
• Transfer Printed
  • Ceramic decoration technique perfected mid 18th century and used widely thereafter for mass produced wares. An engraved design is transferred onto a slab of glue or gelatin (a bat), which was then laid over the body of the vessel, leaving an outline. This was sometimes colored by hand.
• Trefoil
  • Three-cusped figure which resembles a symmetrical three lobed leaf or flower.
• Tsuba
  • Guard of a Japanese sword, usually consisting of an ornamental plate.
• Tudric
  • A range of Celtic-inspired Art Nouveau pewter of high quality, designed for mass-production by Archibald Knox and others, and retailed through Liberty & Co.
• Tulipwood
  • Yellow-brown wood with reddish stripe imported from Central and South America used as veneer and inlay.
• Tyg
  • Mug with three or more handles
    

U

V

• Vargueno
  • A Spanish cabinet with a fall front enclosing drawers
• Venetian Glass
  • Fine soda glass and colored glass blown and pinched into highly ornamented vessels of intricate form. Made in Venice, and widely copied from the 15th century.
• Verge Escapement
  • Oldest form of escapement, found on clocks as early as AD1300 and still in use in 1900. Consisting of a bar (the verge) with two flag shaped pallets that rock in and out of the teeth of the corwn or escape wheel to regulate the movement.
• Vernier Scale
  • A short scale added to the traditional 3 inche (7.5cm) scale on stick barometers to give more precise readings.
• Verre 'Eglomise
  • Painting on glass. Often the reverse side is covered in gold or silver leaf through which a pattern is engraved and then painted black.
• Vesta Case
  • Ornate flat case of silver or other metal which is used for carrying vestas, an early form of match. From mid 19th century.
• Vitrine
  • French display cabinet which is often of bombe' or serpentine outline and ornately decorated.
    

W

• Waxjack
  • A stand for holding a coil of sealing wax. First used in the mid 1700's.
• WMF
  • Short for the German Wurttemburgische Metalwarenfabrik, one of the principal producers of Art Nouveau silver and silver-plated products, early 20th century.
• Wrythen
  • Twisted or plaited
    

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