MOD 13: Return to Europe and Grand Design Flashcards
bergère
a low French armchair with upholstered arms and a cushion
bobbin
a turned wood piece composed of a series of narrow, raised rings separated by gaps of approximately their own width: together, two rings plus the gap between them resemble a bobbin, a short spool for thread.
boullework
designs cut out of brass and pewter and inlaid into a tortoiseshell veneered panel
bureau de dame
a small ladies’ desk with sloping fall front
cartouche
a motif with curved or rolled edges suggesting a scroll shape or piece of paper with curling edges; often used as a surround for crests and inscriptions
Catholic Counter Reformation
The 16th and 17th-century military, diplomatic, and theological campaign against Protestantism lead by Papacy in Rome. The goal was to inspire devotion and piety in the population. Art and architecture were major tools in the Counter Reformation campaign to bring people back to the Catholic Church.
chinoiserie
the use of decorative elements derived from Chinese traditional design in 18th century France and England.
corner block
a structural member of the frame of a piece of seating furniture; a block or other shape fastened into a corner of the framing. The corner block joins two sides that meet at a corner with each other and with the leg below; this allowed a chair to be built without stretchers
cross-banding
the setting of a narrow band of veneer around the outer edge of a panel or tabletop with the grain running at right angles
ebeniste
a French word for someone who works with the veneering of ebony
fauteuil
a French Renaissance upholstered chair with open arms
Flanders
The historical region of northwest Europe including parts of northern France, western Belgium, and southwest Netherlands along the North Sea. Today it is the Dutch-speaking region of northern Belgium.
gesamtkunstwerk
The German term for a “total work of art” that employs more than one medium such as paint, sculpture, architecture and stained glass. Multi-media. (An example: Ecstasy of St. Teresa, by Bernini, Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, 1647–1652)
japanning
the technique of applying gesso, paints, and varnish to furniture in order to simulate the appearance of lacquer.
menuisier
the French word for the maker of furniture that uses solid wood, such as chairs
miter joint
a corner joint used from the 17th century onwards. Pieces of wood are cut at an angle so that when joined they form a right angle; they are then glued and/or nailed together
ormolu
the gilded bronze used as a decorative detail on furniture of the Neoclassical period
oyster veneering
made by setting crosscuts of veneer, from the branches of such trees as laburnum that are cut in ovals or circles that resemble oysters
sail vault
a vault of flattened curvature forming the ceiling of an interior space; often painted or decorated with frescoes.
sotto in su
a technique for representing perspective in ceiling paintings. Literally means “from below upwards.” (An example: Glorification of Saint Ignatius by Andrea Pozzo, Church of St. Ignatius, Rome, 1685-1694)
stringing
a very thin strip of inlaid wood contrasting in color with the surrounding veneer
tortoiseshell
an ornamental material; mottled, semi-transparent shell of certain tortoises, used on European furniture in sumptuous inlay work. The rich appearance of tortoiseshell is often made more striking by mounting it over a sheet of colored metal foil whose tint, most often red, can be seen through the shell
