The A-Z of furniture: Terminology to know when buying at auction
From applique and back splats to veneering and wingbacks, an essential glossary of furniture terms — with examples previously sold at Christie's
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Abattant: A term used to describe a drop-down flap often seen in the French style of the secretary desk, secrétaire à abattant, concealing drawers and shelves within.
Antique: A piece of furniture or object that is more than 100 years old.
Applique: A term for a category of light which can be affixed to a wall.
A pair of ormolu twin-branch wall appliques. Of Louis XVI style, after a model by Jean-Charles Delafosse, late 19th century. 19½ in (50 cm) high. Sold for £2,500 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
Apron: A decorative element joining the surface of a chair or table with the legs.
Armchair: An armchair can be any chair with arms. However, there are two different kinds: the fauteuil, with open sides, and the bergère, with closed sides. (See Fauteuil and Bergère)
Armoire: A tall standing wardrobe or closet, often used to store clothes, which can feature one to three doors and sometimes a mirrored panel.
Arrow foot: A type of chair foot that ends in a tapered cylinder, often seen in the 18th century.
Art Deco: A style popular from the 1920s to the 1930s characterised by bold geometric designs.
B
Back splat: The vertical piece of wood running from the frame of a chair to the base of the backrest.
A pair of George I walnut side chairs. Early 18th century. 37½ in (95 cm) high. Sold for £1,000 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
Ball foot: A fully spherical foot on a piece of furniture.
Ball and claw foot: A cast or carved foot consisting of a ball covered by an animal’s claw, in English furniture often that of a lion or a bird. The design is thought to have originated in China, where a dragon’s claw would represent the strong grip of the emperor.
An Irish George II mahogany long stool, circa 1740. Covered in plum-coloured velvet with silvered thread braiding, the frame carved with masks within a trelliswork ground, the cabriole legs headed by carved scallop shells and acanthus leaves, on claw-and-ball feet and recessed castors. 16½ in (42 cm) high; 50 in (127 cm) wide; 28 in (71 cm) deep. Sold for £58,750 on 18 November 2015 at Christie’s in London
Baroque: A decorative style from the late 16th century through to the 18th century characterised by the use of bold sculptural forms, dynamic surfaces and elaborate ornament.
Barrel chair: Also known as a tub chair, a barrel chair has a round upholstered seat, and arms forming a continuous line with the backrest.
Bas relief: A form of carving or moulding in which the design projects out from the flat surface of the background.
Bentwood: A kind of wood that has been heated and shaped to become curved.
A Regency mahogany caned library bergère. Early 19th century. 37½ in (95 cm) high; 25½ in (65 cm) wide. Sold for £3,500 on 17 August 2016 at Christie’s in London
Bergère: A kind of upholstered armchair with closed sides that first became popular in the 18th century.
Bevel: An edge that has been cut at a slant, often seen on mirrors.
Biedermeier: Encompasses the period between 1815 and 1848 in Central Europe. Influenced by Napoleonic styles, the furniture was produced in Germany and Austria, with simpler designs that often incorporated local timber.
A Biedermeier cherrywood and ebonised commode. Austrian, circa 1825. 32½ in (82.5 cm) high; 44½ in (113 cm) wide; 16 in (41 cm) deep. Sold for €10,625 on 28 September 2015 at Christie’s in Paris
Blockfront: A kind of chest divided into three parts in which the middle part is set back from the sides.
Boiserie: A French word for panelling, generally highly decorative.
Palazzo Reale, Turin: parcel-gilt and cream painted folding boiserie panels or window shutters, early 18th century. Each panel: 127¼ in (323 cm) high; the two inner panels: 15¼ in (39 cm) wide; the two outer panels 17¼ in (44 cm) wide, the decorated surface approx 63⅛ in (160.5 cm) wide in total. Estimate: £15,000-25,000. Offered in Works of Art from The Giuseppe Rossi Collection Sold to Benefit a Charity, 24 September to 15 October 2020, online
Bombé: A term used to describe the bulging outwards of a piece of furniture.
Bowfront: A chest with a convex front.
A Regency mahogany and rosewood-crossbanded bowfront chest, Channel Islands, early 19th century. 40 in (101.5 cm) high; 40 ¼ in (102 cm) wide; 21 in (53 cm) deep. Sold for £4,000 on 2 June 2015 at Christie’s in London
Bracket foot: A right-angled foot shaped like a bracket.
Bronze: An alloy primarily consisting of copper and tin, generally used for sculpture but also as the base metal for ormolu and furniture mounts.
Bun foot: A ball foot that has been flattened slightly, like a bun.
Bureau: A chest of drawers often used in a bedroom, sometimes combined with a fold-down desk.
A Queen Anne cross-and-featherbanded burr-walnut bureau. Early 18th century. 40¼ in (102 cm) high; 38 in (97 cm) wide; 20 in (51 cm) deep
C
Cabinet: Cabinets come in many forms, from the industrial to the ornate, and usually consist of drawers and shelves; some feature glass doors for the display of objects.
Cabriole: A kind of leg that curves out from the seat of a chair or base of a table before curving into a foot in a narrow S shape. The name comes from a type of ballet jump in which the dancer leaps into the air with one leg forward.
Caning: A technique using the rattan or bamboo plant to create an interwoven seat, back or side of a chair.
A Regency mahogany caned bergère. First quarter 19th century. 38½ in (98 cm) high; 27¾ in (70.5 cm) wide; 33 in (84 cm) deep
Castor: A small wheel that allows a piece to be moved easily.
Chaise longue: A long low chair for reclining, with a back and single armrest to one side.
A French giltwood chaise longue by Henri-Auguste Fourdinois, Paris, circa 1878. Covered with green and cream-coloured cut silk velvet, the back of outscrolled form with one arm supported by a kneeling putto, the rounded base on seven column-form legs separated by fabric swags. 41½ in (105.5 cm) high; 75¾ in (192.5 cm) wide; 34¼ in (87 cm) deep. Sold for £47,500 on 7 June 2016 at Christie’s in Paris
Chest on chest: Two chests of drawers stacked together, with the narrower piece on top.
Chest on stand: A chest of drawers on legs.
A William and Mary oak chest on stand. The chest late 17th century, the stand 19th century. 52 in (132 cm) high; 39½ in (101 cm) wide; 22½ in (57 cm) deep. Sold for £2,125 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
Cheval mirror: A freestanding mirror that can be tilted to change the angle of reflection.
Chiffonier: A tall chest of drawers often used to store linen or needlework, sometimes topped by a shelf or mirror.
Chippendale: For Thomas Chippendale, one of the leading cabinetmakers of 18th-century Britain. The term also refers to a style of 18th-century American furniture.
The Deshler Family Chippendale carved mahogany side chair. Probably the shop of Benjamin Randolph (1737-1791/2); the carving attributed to John Pollard (1740-1787), Philadelphia, circa 1769-1770. 37½ in high. Sold for $173,000 on 22 January 2016 at Christie’s in New York
Claw foot: A foot carved to resemble an animal’s claw (see also Ball and claw foot).
Club chair: A chair with a low back, often upholstered in leather.
Coffee table: A long low table to be placed in front of a set of chairs or a sofa.
Commode: Not to be confused with a chair containing a chamber pot, the traditional commode is a cabinet with doors or drawers, often highly ornamental.
Console table: A narrow table that is designed to be placed against a wall.
Credenza: A low sideboard with doors, used for storage or for serving food. The name comes from the Italian word for ‘belief’; in the 16th century, the act of credenza entailed the tasting of one’s food by a servant to ensure it was not poisoned.
Cresting: The carved decoration on the top rail of a piece of seat furniture or mirror.
D
Damask: A lustrous fabric with a reversible pattern and figured weave, often of linen, cotton or silk, which can be used for upholstery.
Davenport: A narrow writing desk with a sloped top above drawers.
Daybed: A long sofa, similar to a chaise longue, that can double up as a bed, often with a small headboard at either end.
A French giltwood daybed, 19th century, of Regence style. The shield-shaped ends covered à chassis and carved with shells, acanthus and flowerheads, on cabriole legs and hoof feet, regilt. 45¾ in (116 cm) high; 87½ in (222 cm) wide; 32 in (81 cm) deep
Decoupage: Derived from the French, a term for applied cut out paper decoration glued to the surface of objects, often flowers or figures.
Dentil moulding: A form of decoration of evenly spaced blocks often used on a cornice. From the Latin for tooth, dens.
Dresser: A type of sideboard, often with shelves above drawers for the display of plates.
Drop-leaf: A kind of table with extendable parts that hang by its sides when not in use.
E
Ebonising: The process by which wood is stained dark to resemble ebony.
A regency parcel-gilt and ebonised satinwood games table, early 19th century, in the manner of John Mclean. 28¾ in (73 cm) high; 33¼ in (84.5 cm) wide; 18¾ in (48 cm) deep. Sold for £9,375 on 11 September 2019 at Christie’s in London
Empire: A style dating to Napoleon’s reign (1804-1814), characterised by Egyptian, Greek and Roman motifs.
Escutcheon: The term for the plate of metal that surrounds a keyhole, often decorative. From scutum, the Latin for shield.
Etagère: A piece of furniture with open shelves used for the display of ornaments.
A pair of gilt-metal three-tier etagères. Modern. 32¼ in (82 cm) high; 31¾ in (80.5 cm) wide; 14 in (35.5 cm) deep. Sold for £2,250 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
F
Fauteuil: An armchair with open sides, usually upholstered on the seat and the back, leaving the wooden frame exposed.
Fluting: Vertical grooves that form an elliptical-shaped recess, often employed on columns.
A set of six Louis Philippe mahogany fauteuils. Second quarter 19th century. 39 in (99 cm) high; 24½ in (62 cm) wide
Frieze: A broad, horizontal band that is often decorated with painting or sculpture.
Front rail: The piece of wood that runs between the front two legs of a chair.
Four-poster bed: A bed with high posts at each corner and sometimes a canopy.
An Italian red and clear beaded pagoda bed, 20th century. 92½ in (235 cm) high; 86½ in (220 cm) wide; 118 in (300 cm) deep. Sold for £21,250 on 11 September 2019 at Christie’s in London
G
Gallery: An ornamental wood or metal rail around a piece of furniture.
Georgian: Term referring to the artistic output in the decorative arts during the reigns of the first four members of the British house of Hanover, between the accession of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830.
A pair of George II mahogany stools of unusually small size, circa 1750, possibly Scottish. 16½ in (42 cm) high; 19½ in (49.5 cm) wide; 14 in (35.5 cm) deep. Sold for £32,500 on 11 September 2019 at Christie’s in London
Gesso: From the Italian for chalk, a material that can be moulded into elaborate designs for cornices and frames, etc.
Gilding: A technique of applying gold leaf to wood for decoration.
A George II giltwood mirror, circa 1740. 42½ x 29½ in (108 x 75 cm). Sold for £3,125 on 11 September 2019 at Christie’s in London
Gillows: A firm founded by Robert Gillows in 1703 in Lancaster, known for its elegant designs and superior craftsmanship. Its pieces are still highly sought-after by collectors today.
H
Hassock: An upholstered footstool or short bench.
Herringbone: A way of using veneer as decoration, also known as feather banding, whereby two strips of veneer are laid at a 90-degree angle around the edge of a piece of furniture to create a herringbone-patterned border.
I
Inlay: A technique of using a contrasting material to create a decorative pattern on the surface of a piece of furniture.
A ‘Moorish’ ivory and mother-of-pearl-inlaid hardwood and ebonised occasional table, circa 1900. 29 in (74 cm) high; 21½ in (55 cm) square. Sold for £2,125 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
J
Japanning: A technique developed in Europe that imitates the lacquering applied to Asian furniture.
English japanned chest on stand. First half 18th century, the japanning later. 48 in (121.9 cm) high; 43 in (109.2 cm) wide; 23½ in (59.7 cm) deep. Sold for $2,500 in Christie’s Living: August Collections, 7-20 August 2020, online
Jardinière: A pot for holding plants, often large and ceramic for outdoor use, but can also be a more elongated shape for indoor use.
An Italian patinated bronze jardinière, late 19th/early 20th century, cast by Fonderia Chiurazzi, Naples. After the model No. 447 from the Chiurazzi Workshop Catalogue, with Chiurazzi foundry seal and incised ‘4/299’. 39¾ in (101 cm) high. Sold for $1,250 on 26 July 2016 at Christie’s in New York
K
Kneehole desk: A type of desk with a recess in the front to make space for one’s knees.
A French burr-elm desk and matching chair. Empire style, late 19th/early 20th century. Desk 29½ in (75 cm) high; 57½ in (146 cm) wide; 29½ in (75 cm) deep; chair 29 in (74 cm) high; 23½ in (60 cm) wide
L
Lacquer: A high-gloss varnish used in Chinese and Japanese furniture.
Loveseat: A small sofa designed for two people, often made in an S shape so that a conversation can be held face-to-face.
Claude Lalanne b. 1925, Love-seat, 1972. Gilt bronze, galvanized copper. 69 x 130 x 85 cm (27⅛ x 51⅛ x 33½ in). Sold for €721,500 on 25 May 2016 at Christie’s in Paris
Lowboy: A low side table, usually with three drawers and cabriole legs.
M
Marquetry: A style of inlay that uses different types of veneered wood or other materials placed together to form a pictorial pattern. Marquetry can be contrasted with parquetry, which forms a geometric pattern.
N
Neoclassical: A style of design that revives classical motifs, popularised from the second half of the 18th century.
A close pair of George III polychrome-decorated demi-lune commodes. Early 19th century. Each 32 in (81.5 cm) high; 48 in (122 cm) wide; 21 in (53 cm) deep. Sold for £11,250 on 17 August 2016 at Christie’s in London
Nesting tables: A set of small tables that fit inside each other.
O
Occasional table: A catch-all term used to describe small freestanding tables such as coffee or side tables.
Ormolu: Historic technique for gilding bronze using mercury, often finely chased.
Ottoman: Usually a low upholstered stool that can be used as a foot rest and sometimes also for storage, adopted from similar styles in the Ottoman Empire.
P
Pad foot: A kind of foot often found on cabriole legs that ends in a flat oval disk.
Palmette: A decorative motif derived from classical architecture loosely resembling an open palm leaf, often used interchangeably with the term anthemion.
Parquetry: Similar to marquetry, parquetry is a technique used on floors and furniture that contrasts wood to create a geometric pattern.
Pedestal table: A table supported by a single leg.
Pembroke table: A drop-leaf table often with a drawer and twin flaps to the long sides.
Pie-crust edge: A scalloped motif either carved or moulded on the edge of a table.
Pietra dura: A form of mosaic decoration using semi-precious stones, mostly seen on tabletops.
Pliant: A form of folding x-framed stool, derived from ancient forms and often associated with royalty.
Reeding: The convex equivalent of fluting, reeding comprises parallel lines of rounded moulding.
Regency: A term referring to English furniture made between 1800-1830 in a style promoted by George, Prince of Wales, who reigned as George IV.
A Regency parcel-gilt and simulated-calamander sofa, circa 1815, redecorated. 36 in (91.5 cm) high; 80 in (203 cm) wide. Sold for £6,875 on 11 September 2019 at Christie’s in London
Rococo: An elaborate style of furniture that followed the Baroque in the 18th century, characterised by scroll and foliate motifs.
S
Secretaire: A French term for a standing chest of drawers with a drop-down writing desk (see Abattant).
Shoe: The horizontal section of the back seat rail of a chair that supports the bottom of the splat.
Sideboard: A long cabinet often used in dining rooms for serving food and as storage.
Side chair: A traditional dining chair with no arms that would fit in at the side of a dining table.
Slat back: A chair back consisting of vertical slats instead of a single panel.
Sofa: An upholstered long seat with back and arms.
Sofa table: A high, small table to be placed alongside a sofa with twin flaps to the short ends.
Spindle back: A chair with turned spindles instead of a single panel as a back rest.
Straw marquetry: A form of marquetry that uses straw instead of wood to create a contrasting pattern on the surface of a piece.
Stretcher: Often forming an H, X or Y shape, the stretcher runs between the legs of a chair or table to reinforce the structure.
T
Tallboy: A tallboy, or chest on chest, is a high chest of drawers.
A George III figured mahogany tallboy. Late 18th century. 73 in (185 cm) high; 42½ in (108 cm) wide; 22 in (56 cm) deep. Sold for £4,375 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
Term: A pillar surmounted by a carved male or female bust, usually armless, that tapers towards the base. Also known as a herm, after the posts bearing the carved head of Hermes that were used as boundary markers in ancient Greece.
Trestle table: A table supported by an upright at each end.
Tub chair: See Barrel chair.
U
Upholstery: The padded covering on furniture, usually made of horsehair, foam or springs and covered in decorative fabric or leather.
A late Victorian brown leather Chesterfield sofa. Late 19th century. 27 in (68.5 cm) high; 93 in (236.5 cm) wide; 39½ in (105 cm) deep. Sold for £3,250 on 20 July 2016 at Christie’s in London
V
Veneering: The technique of applying thin layers of wood to a piece of furniture.
A stained and veneered beech two-tier occasional table in the style of Gio Ponti. Third quarter 20th century. 18½ in (47 cm) high; 37¾ in (96 cm) wide; 17¾ in (45 cm) deep
Victorian: Refers to the period coinciding with the reign of Queen Victoria of Britain from 1837 to 1901.
Volute: A spiral scroll characteristic of Ionic capitals, often used as a decorative form on arm rests and feet in furniture.
W
Webbing: A technique of interweaving elastic or fabric to provide support to an upholstered arm, back or seat.
Wicker: A term given to pieces woven from rattan, willow or reed.
Windsor chair: A classic design with a curved top and spindle back.
A George IV yew and elm Windsor armchair, early 19th century. Together with a Victorian beech and elm Windsor armchair. Sold for £1,250 on 16 March 2016 at Christie’s in London
Wingback: A chair with wing-like side panels protruding from the top of the backrest and above the arms in order to shield the sitter from draughts or the heat of a fire. Also known as a bergère à oreilles, or a chair ‘with ears’.
An English oak wingback chair, 19th century. Together with a Scottish Orkney Island child’s chair and an oak and fruitwood side table. Sold for $2,000 on 26 July 2016 at Christie’s in New York
X
Y
Z
Zitan: a tropical hardwood ranging in colour from dark-purplish brown to reddish brown, and considered, together with huanghuali, the most precious and luxurious material used in Chinese furniture.