Definitions of ANTIQUE TERMS

(looking for a term, click on the letter it starts with)

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S
Saber Leg – A leg that is curved like a saber or that curves inward to form an S shape.
Sabot - A French term for the metal foot to which casters were affixed. Derived from the French word for hoof.
Satinwood – Light colored wood used as cabinet wood and for veneers with soft-grained features.
Scroll Bracket – A decorative brace-like member at juncture of legs and aprons on tables, cases, and chairs, characteristic of the Chippendale style.
Scalloped - A term used to describe decoration composed of a series of concave depressions, resembling a scallop shell, with a lobed or foiled edge. Mostly used on the rims of silver and earthenware vessels, it also applies to any shell-like decoration or ornament.
Scagliola - Imitation marble composed of plaster-of-Paris, isinglass, chips of marble and coloring, most popular in 17th and 18th centuries for console tables, commode tops and small pieces of furniture. See also Pietra Dura.
Sconce - A wall fitting with candle branches made in a wide variety of materials, shapes and designs, in use from medieval times, frequently with polished metal back plates to reflect the light, and later with panels of mirrored glass. See also Girandole.
Secrétaire a abattant - A French fall-front writing desk.
Secretary – Slant-front desk sitting on top of a chest of drawers (popular in America and England in the 18th and 19th centuries). Secretaries of this period usually had a bookcase superstructure with a bonnet top piedmont above the desk that contains cubbyholes and slots.
Semenier – A tall, narrow, seven-drawer lingerie chest, from an old French term for “seven”. Authentic semaniers must have seven drawers, one for each day of the week; otherwise, it would be referred to as a chiffonier. Serpentine – A double curve. Opposite of oxbow.
Serpentine Front – A waving, compound curve with convex center and concave ends (two cyma curves) on the front of a chest or desk drawer and door fronts. Serpentine fronts are features utilized on various French and Hepplewhite styles.
Settee – An elongated chair or bench with a back and arms accommodating two or more people the settee first evolved in the 17th century, before the sofa and was often upholstered.
Settle – A long wooden bench with high back and solid arms, often had a hinged seat covering storage space with drawers, brought from England to America by the pilgrims. Used from the seventeenth century to ward off drafts and often by the hearth.
Sgraffito (sgraf-ee-to) – Italian term meaning scratched; in painting, one color is laid over another, and scratched to reveal the color underneath.
Shaker – Furniture style design combining functionality and beauty and made by Shakers. This style characterized by no decorations with spare, elegant lines, straight, tapered legs, and woven-strap seats as shown in the tall, slim Shaker ladder-back chair. Shakers were founded in the 18th century American as a communal, religious sect, whose namesake was derived from the movements of their dancing.
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Sheffield Plate - The first thing to say is that Sheffield Plate is emphatically not electro-plated silver, in any way, shape or form. Sheffield Plate is rolled sheet silver which sandwiches an internal layer or sheet of copper, to which it is fused. The process was accidentally discovered in 1742 by Thomas Boulsover in Sheffield, and domestic articles were made using the technique from the 1750s until about the 1850s. It was recognised by the Sheffield Assay Office in 1784, after which date articles were stamped accordingly, and was being made there and elsewhere (Birmingham was a big producer) by the 1760s. By 1800 a wide range of articles were being produced in large quantites and a variety of styles, in many English towns. It was also copied abroad, notably France, Russia and Poland. The invention/development of " British Plate " in the 1840s brought production to an end, and in turn British Plate was superseded by the much cheaper electro-plating developed in the mid-to-late C18th. Sheffield Plate is very strong, and surviving pieces, and there are many, are generally in good condition. On the other hand, C19th silver plated ware can often be in poor condition, with worn off plate commonly evident.
Shell Motif – Usually in the form of a scallop shell, decorative shell carvings were popular in Queen Anne and Chippendale styles.
Sheraton –(Federal Period in America) Furniture style was an elegant elaboration of neoclassical forms named after England’s Thomas Sheraton, whose designs were published in the early 1700s. Sheraton pieces were more delicate and with diminished classical ornamentation than the Adam style, yet more linear, segmented and severe than similar Hepplewhite forms. Classic features included fluted columns, painted decoration, reeding, skillful inlays and bands of contrasting veneer woods. Chairs contained openwork backs with lyre, swag or urn themes with characteristically tapered and usually turned legs (earlier Hepplewhite styles were square). Sideboards were popular furniture of this period. Duncan Phyfe (1795-1848) a cabinetmaker in New York was well known for the late Sheraton style in America.
Shield Back – The back of a Sheraton or Hepplewaite chair in the shape of a shield.
Shirt – The fabric along the bottom edge of upholstered furniture that conceals the legs.
Shoji Screen – Translucent Oriental screen made of wood frame and rice paper, often used as a room divider.
Sideboard – A serving or buffet table with a wide center drawer at the center flanked by cupboard shelves or drawers on the sides for holding plates and silver. Used in a dining room for displaying food ready for serving. Sideboards are generally long and narrow or may have a foldout top. Traditional 19th century sideboards sometimes had a brass “gallery.” rail on the top sides and back to keep serving items from sliding off.
Slat-Back – Early American chair design using horizontal slats to form the back.
Sleigh Bed – 19th century American version developed from a renowned French Empire design with a scrolled, high headboard and slightly lower footboard resembling the shape of a horse-drawn sleigh.
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Slip matching – the process of placing sheets of veneer in side-by-side patterns to produce herringbone, diamond and checked patterns.
Slipper Chair – A low, armless, usually upholstered chair, often with short legs, a skirt and high back in 18th century America for bedrooms.
Snake Foot – Carved foot, usually on tripod bases, with slender, undulating lines suggestive of a snake’s form.
Softwoods – woods such as pine, spruce and fir, taken fron conifer rather than deciduous trees.
Spelter - Spelter [metal] is an alloy composed chiefly of zinc. It was much used around the latter part of the C19th as a cheaper substitute for bronze, principally in cast decorative pieces, and was often painted or patinated to simulate ivory or bronze. It is very soft and malleable, but when cast tends to be crystalline and brittle, and which when broken shows a granular, silvery fracture plane. In many cases it was copper-plated before any other finish such as gold plating was applied and therefore a worn piece may look coppery. It as quite fragile if thin and there is no really satisfactory method of repair. In some cases such as figurines, a filler such as plaster may be added to give weight and strength. Spelter can often be detected by a scratch in an inconspicuous place showing a bright silver colour where otherwise one might expect bronze or copper.
Spindle - A slender turned baluster , often decoratively used in rows, such as can be seen in the back of a Windsor chair.
Spiral twist – see barley twist.
Splint or splat - A usually flat board often with shaped sides and frequently pierced or carved, which is the central upright of a chair back, between the top and seat rails. Such a chair is known as a splat-back.
Sofa – A development of the armchair in the mid-18th century, very popular by the early 1800s with the use of springs for comfort. Longer and less formal than a settee, the sofa enjoys widespread use in modern times.
Sofa Table – typically, a long and narrow table with drop-leaf ends and drawers used to store game boards.
Spade Foot – A tapered, squared foot design resembling the outline of a spade typically found in Hepplewhite styles.
Spatial Cues – Eclectic artistic techniques of indicating 3-D space and form in 2-D images. Examples include: modeling form and distance with light and shade; a linear perspective system of converging lines; overlapping forms to indicate relative space; diminishing sizes in perspective; vertical positioning to indicate depth; use of atmospheric color intensities; and any other method to manipulate shape, color and size relationships.
Spindle – Turned wood lengths, for example, used in a vertical series for a chair back.
Splat – A flat, vertical, wood support member in the middle of a chair’s open back, often carved or ornamented.
Spring Down – Upholstery cushions made of spring coils wrapped with polyurethane, and covered with down batten.
Staining – Furniture finishing process of applying dye colors which permeate into the wood. Stained woods are usually finished with a clear coat after drying.
Stile – The vertical outside part of cabinet and door frames.
Stippling – A laborious drawing technique of constructing an image of small dots; also used in painting (pointillism).
Strap work - Interlaced geometric and arabesque decoration in low relief, often applied in fretted strips to Elizabethan and Jacobean furniture and made up from patterns in Dutch pattern books.
Stretcher – Horizontal furniture bracing of an “H” or “X” shape, typically connecting table or chair legs. In paintings, stretchers are the wooden framework that a canvas is ’stretched’ across and held in place.
Stuart - English style from 1600-1650.
Stump Work - English relief work embroidery.
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T
Tallboy - An English chest-on-chest with two small drawers at the top and six wide ones below. Sometimes incorporated a secrétaire drawer in the top of the base section. In America its equivalent is the Highboy but the terms are not interchangeable.
Tambour - Sliding doors or curving pull-down fronts for desks made from thin reeded convex strips of wood glued to a linen or canvas backing and running in grooves. Used on small night tables, pot cupboards, commodes and later developed into the roll-top for desks.
Tambour Desk – Roll top desk with a cover made of tambours, a series of narrow slats of wood glued to a strong cloth. The tambour edges slide up and down in grooves along the edges of the desk frame.
Tabouret - A low upholstered stool, originally used at court during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Tapestry – A decorative fabric image, like needlepoint effect, usually hung on cold castle walls for warmth and decor.
Tantalus - A lockable liquor rack, usually holding three cut-glass decanters, that allowed the liquor to be seen but not drunk. A Victorian invention designed to ensure that the master of the house controlled its alcohol.
Tea Table – A smaller portable table, frequently used in place of coffee or end tables. Tea table tops often have raised edges resembling a tray and side pullouts for candles. A tilt top is popular with tripod foot tea tables.
Tester – The wooden framework that supports a canopy or drapes at the top of a high post bed. (Canopy)
Tête a Tête Seat - Generally describes an S-shaped seat for two people to sit decorously side by side without touching, made in England and America in the 19th century.
Tight Seat – Upholstered furniture with springs, covered with layer of padding over which has the fabric pulled to cover directly.
Tilt Top – A table with a hinged top that can stand vertically for storage and display when not in use.
Tole / Tole Peinte - A decorative applied painted metal panels.
Tole ware - An American term for tinplate and tin ware.
Torchiere – A floor lamp with a flared shade directing light upward.
Trestle Table – Long, narrow table supported with two T-shaped uprights joined together with a single stretcher, used in many country style designs.
Trifid Foot – Three toe carved foot. (See Drake foot)
Trompe l’oeil – French term describing to “fool the eye” used in two-dimension designs to appear as a three-dimension object.
Trumeau – A two-part mirror frame style with an ornamental panel displayed above the glass mirror.
Tudor – Pertaining to or characteristics of the periods of the reins of the Tudor Sovereigns, 1500-1550.
Turning – The shaping of wood lengths while spinning on a central axis, as on a lathe. Legs, trim, spindles and finials are common turned elements of furniture.
Tuxedo – A style of square framed sofa or chair formed by equal heights of armrests and the back.
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U
Underpainting – A base layer of color or tone, usually a thin translucent painted layer, used to establish the general layout of a painting or object’s finish.
Upholstery – Fabric covering of chairs and sofas, usually over padding and a wood framed construction.
Uprights – Vertical outer chair posts.

V
Value – The degree of light or dark in area line, or shape in terms of black to white; also called tone (light or dark blue, or light or dark gray).
Veneer – Thin-cut layer of beautiful grain patterned, fine quality, wood inlay, permanently bonded to an object for enrichment of strength, pattern and finish (See also inlay, marquetry, and parquetry). Older veneers are always crown-cut, quarter-cut, curl-cut, oyster or burr.
Verre Eglomise - A technique of painting glass on the underside and backing it with silver or gold-colored metallic foil.
Victorian – Furniture style named for England’s Queen Victoria (reigned 1837 – 1901) that was popular thru the middle and end of the 19th century. Furniture was usually dark finished in rosewood, mahogany and walnut. Victorian styles often elaborated on rococo and Louis XV styles with complicated curvilinear designs and luxuriant upholstery. Characteristics include carved floral motifs, oval chair backs, horsehair padding, and marble topped dressers and tables.

Vitrine – Glass show case used to display objects.
Vitruvian Scroll - Bands of undulating scrolls like waves, also called a wave scroll.
Volute - The helix-like ornamental scroll terminating Ionic capitals.
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W
Wainscot – From the Dutch wagenschott, this is a type of fine straight-grained quarter-cut oak which was imported from the Baltic in the C16th and C17th, and which was originally used for wagon shafts. The term later became synonymous with oak, largely because the term is also applied to oak paneling used to line the interior walls of houses in the late C16th and early C17th.
Wardrobe – An upright, tall cabinet with door(s) used for clothing storage, it may also contain a chest of drawers.
Wash – Technique of applying thin, translucent layers of paint commonly used in watercolors.
Webbing – The foundation of upholstered furniture attached to the wood frame and made of woven strips of (usually synthetic) material.
Welsh Dresser - A recent term for a kitchen dresser that has a rack of shelves over a dresser base that may be variously composed of drawers, cupboards and a potboard. They are by no means all of Welsh origin and many regional versions exist.
Welt – A cord, covered with fabric and sewn into the seam of upholstery as decorative trim.
William and Mary – Style period named for the late 17th century reign of English King William III and Queen Mary II. William and Mary style came to America after the early colonial period since the early 1700s. It represented a provincial, country American Baroque style. Design characteristics included curved lines, bun (ball) feet, oriental lacquer work, and the Dutch influence of William in oyster veneer and floral marquetry. Furniture of this period includes upholstered armchairs with high backs, highboys and lowboys.
Windsor Chair – A style of chair originating near Windsor castle circa 1710 possibly from wheel-makers. Windsor chairs had a bent wood back frame with a back that has a pierced spline flanked with shaped spindles. It was also a popular 19th century wooden chair style.
Wing Chair – An upholstered easy or lounge chair with ‘wings’ projecting on either side of a high chair back curving to upholstered arms.
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Y
Yellow Poplar – Straight-grained, pale wood used primarily as core wood
Yew - Hard, durable wood with a warm, light reddish-brown tone, used for veneers and cabinet work.
Z
Zar - A unit of measurement in carpet making which is somewhere between one yard and one metre in length.
Zaranium - A term given to a measurement of one and a half Zars and which is about 5 feet (1.53 metres) and is the typical width of many Oriental rugs.
Zebrawoord – An African wood when quarter sawn shows brown and black stripes on a lighter background.
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