Glossary of Art and Antique terms

• Early American: American furniture design (late 17th and early 18th centuries) from heavy European styles such as William and Mary or Jacobean. Characteristics are minimal decoration and straight lines; including gateleg and trestle tables, slat and ladder back chair styles. This style merged into what is now called Colonial, featuring Queen Anne and Chippendale design.



• Ebony: Dark, black, hard wood with fine grain widely used for veneers and inlays.



• Eclectic: Decorating that harmoniously combines furniture and accessories of various periods and styles.



• Egg and Dart: A classic molding design of ovals (egg) alternating with dart shapes on cornices.



• Eglomise: Art of painting reverse on glass, used by the Sheraton style.



• Elizabethan: Style of furniture with massive size and severe form that originated in England from 1558 to 1603 during the reign of Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan style experienced a revival in the 1820s exhibiting heavy carving as well as large size.



• Elm: Tough hardwood with a grain like ash wood, used mostly for furniture framing. genus Ulmus



• End matching: The placing of veneer sheets end-to-end producing an uninterrupted pattern.



• engraving: General term used to describe traditional printing processes, such as aquatint, drypoint, etching, etc., where an image is made on metal plates or wood panels with engraving tools and chemicals, and usually printed through a press.



• Embossing: A stamping technique to raise in relief by compressing the surrounding wood, imitating a carved decorative area.



• Empire: (1800 - 1815) A French Neoclassical style period dictated by Napoleon to create a relationship between Napoleon's realm and great ancient empires. Characterized by imperial forms from Egypt, Greece and Rome; the Empire Furniture was ostensibly regal using rich metals and woods, decorated with such motifs as the letter N, bees, crowns, laurel leaves and mythological figures. Concurrent with American Federal (since 1790) period, specifically Sheraton furniture. Napoleonic Empire style included classical design components and 'heavy' designs combining lines and curves. Later, the Second Empire (since 1848) period was during America's Victorian period.



• Escutcheon: shaped decorative shield around a keyhole or the backplate of a drawer pull.



• étagère: An open free-standing cabinet with a series of open shelves supported by slender columns to display smaller accessories and curios.

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