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cabaret A small tray, usually porcelain, with matching sugar bowl, set of cups, milk jug and tea pot. A breakfast set is called dejeuner. A set for one-person solitaire and a set for two tete-a-tete.
cabinet A piece of furniture incorporating drawer and cupboard space designed so that small objects can be displayed and stored.
cabinet-ware Porcelain, often cups, saucers, plates that were made for display rather than to be used. A typical example is soft paste porcelain made at Chelsea in the 1740's.
Cabriole A profile in furniture which is curvaceous and allegedly inspired by the shape of a wild goats hind legs. Normally associated with legs on tables and chairs and they form a shallow 's' curve with a broad hip and knee or shoulder and taper to a slim concave leg below. This style was so popular that towards the end of the 17th - mid 18th Century the period is known as the Cabriole Leg Period.
cache-pot An ornamental container for a pot holding a growing plant, normally without a drainage hole.
cachou box A 19th Century silver or gold box to hold cachous-pills for sweetening breath. These boxes were made in Britain they are very small 25-50 mm in length and they would have a hinged lid, occasionally they would have a ring attached as this enabled it to be hung from a Chatelaine. They remained popular until C. 1910, and were usually decorated with enamelling or chasing.
cadogan A teapot, peach shaped and lidless which is held upside down and would be filled from the base. There is a tube leading from the base to ensure that the contents wouldn't spill when it is turned upright. A Chinese wine pot, that was brought to Britain by Hon Mrs Cadogan is said to have inspired the first examples that were produced at Rockingham in the late 18th Century. Meissen, Copeland, Davenport and other Staffordshire potteries soon followed.
Café, John (fl.1740 - 1757) A Silversmith, London based who is well known for his candlesticks and snuffer trays. He was succeeded by his brother William, who continued the prolific production of candlesticks until 1772.
cage cup A cast or blown, thick walled glass blank carved in relief and then undercut, leaving the decoration in the form of a net or cage still attached to the main body of the vessel. This form could also be known as a diatreta, which takes its name from diatretarii, the Roman glass decorators who originated it.
cagework The term used for a decorative pierced or chased silver mount that encloses an inner, plain section of an object. The cagework technique is likely to have originated from Germany, and was used a lot in Britain on late17th Century tankards, two handled cups and beakers.
A cagework boxIs a snuff box that comprises of plaques of various materials, for example ivory or agate set in a pierced metal frame.
Caillouté Porcelain decoration, of a lacy network of oval and circle outlines, usually painted in gold. The word is French for 'pebbled.' The design was introduced at Sèvres in the mid 18th Century, it is set against a dark blue background, and can also be seen in Worcester, Derby and Swansea ware.
cairngorm Yellowish-brown to smoky yellow quartz. The most significant and important stone in Scottish jewellery. The stones were originally found in the Cairngorm mountains, and have been much simulated in glass and are now imitated by heat treatment to Brazilian amethysts.
calamander A light brown ebony, mottled and striped with black popular for Regency veneers and banding.
Calcite glass Developed by Frederick Carder Circa 1915 in the USA, a creamy white art glass. Its translucency achieved by adding bone ash to the molten glass, it was made generally for lampshades, often used with Aurene glass to make cameo glass.
calendar clock A clock with separate indications on the main dial, or with extra dials for the phase of the moon, the day, the month and more unusually the year. Often Calendar details appeared on public clocks from the 14th Century and on domestic clocks from the 16th Century.
calibre The diameter of a bore, which is the inner surface of a gun barrel.
calico Originally imported from Calicut, a port in south-west India, throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries it is a plain weave cotton cloth, only later was it manufactured in Britain. It was used with printed or painted patterns for soft furnishings especially during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
calotype The world's first negative-positive technique of photography, pioneered by British scientist William Henry Fox Talbot (1800 - 1870) in 1841. The calotype took over from the daguerreotype.
cameo A Gemstone, hardstone or shell, cut to reveal a design in relief. Cameos were originally made from gemstones with different coloured layers to provide a contrasting background. Widespread in the Roman era and revived during the Italian renaissance and neoclassical period. Shell cameos were carved with Classical style portraits and mythological scenes, in Naples and Rome in the 19th Century and exported to Britain to be used as seals and jewellery.
cameo glass Glassware that was made up of two or more layers of glass in contrasting colours where each part of the outer surface is carved by hand or etched away with acid to leave a cameo effect design in relief.
camera obscura A device used in particular by 17th and 18th Century artists to produce accurate paintings and drawings, it's a dark box with a small opening or lens through which the image of an object is projected and focused onto a facing surface.
campaign furniture 18th and 19th Century portable furniture, to include writing chests, washstands, beds, chairs and chest of drawers, primarily for military use. The furniture is normally made of mahogany or teak with removable feet and brass fittings. Chests would be made in two halves and other pieces would come apart by unscrewing, so that they could be stacked for travelling.
campana Inverted bell shape seen in ceramics and metal ware since classical times and was very popular in the early 19th Century.
canapé The French term that is used for a settee that would have been used from the late 17th Century. It is upholstered with some of the wooden structure, such as a top rail or apron, left exposed.
cancellation mark The means or method of making ceramics that are substandard or part of a discontinued range, by painting or scratching one or two strokes over the original factory mark.
candelabrum Candlestick with a branched form, often made as a pair and has been used in Europe since the Middle Ages.
candle slide A small wooden support for a candlestick, can be sometimes found on 18th Century desks, tables and bureau's. It would slide into a recess when it was not being used.
candlestick An object or utensil used for holding a single candle, and used in Europe from the 10th Century or possibly earlier.
cane Either woven strips from the stems of a group of palms known as Rattans, which are used in furniture. Canework came to Europe from China via the Dutch East India Company trade in the 17th Century. It became popular in Europe in the second half of the 17th Century.
Cane is a fairly cheap material, it is strong but light.
Cane can also be a stick of glass, sometimes multicoloured, made by arranging coloured lengths of rods of glass in a bundle, melting then rolling them in clear glass to form a cane.
caneware Very fine stoneware developed by Josiah Wedgwood from the 1770's it is cream to a light brown in colour and can sometimes be decorated with bright blue, green and red enamel colours.
canted An obliquely angled, chamfered or bevelled edge.
canteen A set of domestic tableware or cutlery that would fit into a wooden case with a hinged lid and would often have two or three drawers. There are normally 6 or 12 place settings. The first canteens were portable cases carrying the eating implements of 17th Century travellers and military officers.
Canterbury There are two types of canterbury's; A music canterbury was designed in the late 18th Century and is a wooden stand divided by rails into sections for storing music sheets. A supper canterbury is a low wooden trolley used in the 18th Century for cutlery and plates.
cantilever chair A chair made using the cantilever principle, whereby the weight is supported only at one end. Mart Stam's 1920 tubular steel chair cane the appearance that the seat was floating in mid air, and at that time people were afraid to sit on it.
Canton There are 3 definitions:
1) Chinese export porcelain decorated in Canton. Throughout Europe Canton usually applies to 19th Century Chinese porcelain decorated with panels of flowers and scenes with figures on a gilt and green scrolled ground.
2) Canton's enamelling workshops also produced enamel-painted copper known as Canton enamel.
3) In the USA the term is used to describe porcelain decorated with underglaze blue landscapes similar to the British Willow pattern which was exported from the Chinese port during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
capacity marks Marks, that can also be known as standard or excise marks they are found on measures used in public markets and taverns for the sale of both dry and wet goods, such as grain, wine or ale.
carat 1) The unit for measuring the weight of gemstones to include pearls and diamonds. In 1914 it was standardised as one fifth on a gram 200mg, equivalent to 3.086 grains.
2) The measure of the finest gold based on 24 units. A 22 carat gold piece is an alloy of 22 parts of pure gold and 2 parts another metal such as silver.
carbine Similar to a musket or rifle firearm, but with a shorter barrel and firing range and quite often carried by cavalry.
carboy A large bottle that was used for storing liquids such as acids or could also have been used for display purposes in pharmacies. The neck is narrow and with matching stopper, they were usually made of clear glass so that it was able to see the colour of the liquid inside.
carcass The main body of a piece of furniture before the drawers and doors have been added.
Carder, Frederick (1864 - 1963) A British glass designer who (1880 - 1903) worked for Stevens & Williams. He moved to the USA where he co-founded Steuben Glassworks. He was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement and he experimented with coloured glass, and different finishes.
Cardew, Michael (1901 - 1982) A major figure in 20th Century British art pottery, he trained with Bernard Leach at St Ives in the 1920's. He started his own pottery at Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, where he made everyday items such as cider jugs and bowls in slip-decorated, glazed earthenware. He followed English pottery traditions.
card table A table used for playing cards and semicircular or rectangular in shape introduced in the 17th Century. Sometimes there would be a small drawer or wells which contained the counters.
carillon A group of bells that rung either manually or mechanically. Mechanical carillons have been used in public and domestic clocks since the 14th Century to strike the hours or play tunes as in for example musical clocks.
Carlton House desk The name comes from the original design desk that was made for the Prince of Wales for his London residence, Carlton House and the writing table has a low superstructure and drawers at the back and at the sides of the writing space.
Carlton ware Earthenware and porcelain that was produced from Circa 1890 at Carlton works, Staffordshire, which traded as Wiltshaw & Robinson. The pottery was well known for producing Art Deco ornamental ware for example porcelain vases with enamelled and gilded decoration and lustre wall masks.
carnet de bal Ivory leaves that are in a decorative case and the names of dancing partners were inscribed in pencil in the 18th and 19th Centuries.
carnival glass Produced mainly in the USA, Circa 1908 - 1924, it's a cheap glass, and was meant to be given out as prizes at carnivals and fairs.
Carolean A style of furniture that would have been made during the reign of King Charles I in Britain from 1625 -1649.
carriage clock The first portable clock, made on mass, a development from coach watches. They were first introduced by French clock maker Abraham-Louis Breguet Circa 1796.
carte à figure A map that was decorative often with an ornamental border, as well as informative, there would have been pictures of local views or towns, popular in the 17th Century.
carte-de-visite An idea developed by French photographer Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri in1854, where by a portrait photograph would be mounted on a small piece of card with the photographers credit on the back. Disdéri used a special camera that contained a number of lenses so that several poses could be achieved on a single negative.
cartel clock A wall clock that is spring driven, often ornate with a Rococo style or Neoclassical style frame or case, produced in Germany, France, Austria and Italy Circa 1750 - 1900.
Cartier A French jewellery firm founded in Paris in 1847. Originally specialising in enamelled gold set with gemstones, it is most likely to be famous for it its Art Deco jewellery and watches. Introducing the very first wristwatch in 1904, with the well known round cornered square design that is still available today.
cartonnier Fitted with compartments to hold papers, a piece of furniture that can either be freestanding with a cupboard below and a clock on the top or an accessory for placing on a desk.
cartoon A full scale preparatory design either drawn or painted for a mosaic, painting or can be a tapestry. It is a small sketch, which then is enlarged to make a cartoon.
cartouche A detail or decorative or object suggestive of a sheet of paper with scrolled edges. In ceramics or silverware, it may take the form of an oval or shield with a decorative feature or inscription, and a scrolled frame, and in furniture a tablet shape with curled edges. Cartouche borders are seen on old maps and prints.
carver A skill of a woodcarver in furniture making, as opposed to that of a carpenter, cabinet maker or joiner. This craft got greater status from the late 17th Century until the later part of the 18th Century, when it became very highly specialised in particular for cabinet stands, candelabra, mirror frames and console tables, which may then have been gilded.
caryatids Sculptured female forms, taken from Classical Greek style, widely used as ornamental supports on furniture and chimney pieces from the late 16th Century onwards. The 19th Century male equivalents are known as atlantes.
cased glass This is glassware that has two or more layers that are in different colours. Firstly the outer casting is blown into a cup shape, a second layer is then blown into it and the two are then reheated so that they fuse together. This process is repeated if more castings are required. The outer layer can then be engraved or cut to reveal the contrasting layer beneath.
case furniture This term is used for furniture that has pieces and is intended to contain something, for example a cupboard, cabinet, bookcase and clothes presses.
cassolette There are 2 definitions:
1) A glass or ceramic vase, usually one of a pair, with a reversible lid. The inverted lid serves as a candleholder.
2) An ornate, late 18th Century pastille burner like a small brazier on a stand and made of bronze or gilt metal.
Castellani, Fortunato Pio (1793 - 1865) An Italian antique dealer, goldsmith and jeweller based in Rome. He imitated Etruscan and Roman jewellery and reproduced the ancient technique of making granulated gold. He also produced jewellery with filigree decoration and miniature mosaic work. His sons continued running this family business and their work became popular in Britain, where it has been copied. The Castellani mark is a monogram of interlaced Cs.
caster A container with a perforated lid used for sprinkling condiments such as sugar, pepper and nutmeg, usually in silver or pewter. Matched sets are known as cruet sets.
casting This is the process of forming metal, glass, or ceramic objects by pouring the molten material into a mould and letting it cool down and then harden. Metal items may be sand-cast in which a mould shape is pressed into densely packed quartz and sand contained in an iron frame.
cast iron Used ever since the Middle Ages, but more so from the 18th Century and in particular from the Victorian times, it is an impure form of iron which has been cast and moulded it is brittle and cheaper than wrought iron.
Castleford ware A fine white stoneware with a slight translucency, made at Castleford near Leeds Circa 1800 -1820. It is of a smooth texture very similar to that of Parian ware with a low relief decoration. The most common articles were jugs and teapots, often with distinctive blue and enamel trimmings.
cat's eye This is the general term used for several varieties of gemstones which when viewed in a particular light and direction display a streak, linked to a cat's eye. The effect is a result of a fibrous inclusion, such as asbestos, naturally occurring within the gem.
caudle cup A small, covered, one or two handled cup with a saucer used for caudle, a spiced gruel of eggs, bread or oatmeal and wine or ale. Usually intended for invalids or nursing mothers, the cups were made of silver or pottery, in the late 17th Century and early 18th Century.
Caughley A Shropshire pottery founded Circa 1750 and well known for its soft paste porcelain, called Salopian ware, produced from 1772. Caughley was noted for the excellence of its potting techniques rather than for the originality of its design. It openly copied shapes and designs of articles produced at Worcester and sometimes it even reproduced Worchester's crescent mark. In the late 1780's and 1790's much of Caughley's work produced was decorated in bright enamels with gilding by the Worchester outside decorator Robert Chamberlain. The pottery closed in Circa 1812 and business was transferred to Coalport.
cauliflower ware Creamware pottery introduced by Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Whieldon in the 1750's. Teaware, lidded bowls, tureens and punch pots were made in the form of a cauliflower. Later the idea extended to melons, pineapples and maize and was then copied at other potteries and produced in porcelain at Chelsea and Worcester.
cauling The name of a way of flattening a veneer onto a carcass and removing excess glue. The caul, a heated piece of wood, is clamped over the surface. The heat melts the glue coating on the carcass enabling the veneer to stick; the clamps are tightened, squeezing out any excess glue.
cavetto A type of moulding, a style of carving in wood and applied to furniture or to frame wall panels.
cedar A light reddish-brown aromatic timber from North America and the West Indies. Often used from the 18th Century by cabinet makers for the lining of drawers, chests and boxes, because it has a strong aroma and insect repellent qualities.
celadon A European term for Chinese Stoneware, which was initially developed during the Song Dynasty, with a translucent green glaze, and generally applied to any similar green-glaze. The shade is dependant upon the iron-oxide content.
cellaret A term introduced in the 18th Century for wine coolers and wine cisterns. It is also used for trays or compartments fitted into a drawer or sideboard, for holding bottles of wine and spirits.
Cellini jug A heavy, ornate jug, moulded with masks, strapwork and caryatids. This style is typical of that employed by the Renaissance goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini.
Celtic Style The decorative style of the Celts, people who were originally from the western half of central Europe and then spread into Spain, Italy, and the British Isles Circa 250BC. Celtic motifs, with their curvaceous line patterns and stylised animal and human forms, were absorbed into English and Irish art, and were revived at the end of the 19th Century by Art Nouveau artists, and particularly the Glasgow school.
ceramics Clay based products which become hard by firing. This term, from the Greek keramas (clay), embraces all pottery including earthernware, stoneware, porcelain and bone china.
chafing dish Usually used for heating food and warming plates over a charcoal barrier or spirit lamp on the dinner table or sideboard. A vessel made of silver or other metals, the dish rests on a stand supported by legs, which afford space for a heating device. Chafing dishes were widely used from the 16th Century.
chaise longue A French term for an upholstered or cushioned chair with a whole or part back and a long seat
Chambers, Sir William (1726 - 1796) Furniture designer and Neoclassical architect, and along with Robert Adam joint architect to King George III. Chambers was the first British architect to visit China. His Chinoiserie work had an authentic look to it as a result of visiting China, which was more unusual during the 18th Century.
chamberstick A single candle holder with the sconce set into a saucer with a carrying handle attached, designed to be used within the bedroom. They were made from the 17th Century and sometimes had a snuffer attached.
chamfered Normally applying to stone and woodwork, it is an edge that is planed or cut at an angle.
champagne glass From the 1770's until around the mid 19th Century flute shaped glasses have been favoured for drinking champagne because they have a narrow mouth that retains the bubbles for longer. From Circa 1830, a wide shallow bowl of 4-6 fl oz capacity was popular. It is uncertain whether special glasses were reserved before 1770.
champagne tap A tap for dispensing champagne from a bottle without removing the cork. It is similar in shape to a corkscrew, and is a pointed tube with a spout and a spigot on one end. With the spigot closed, the champagne retains its bubbles. The taps were made from the late 19th Century and usually made of silver.
Chang ware A range of Art pottery developed by the Doulton factory during the early 20th Century. Typical Chang has a thick, glutinous glaze in shades of red and grey. The glaze, applied has three layers and has a vivid crackle. Named as to reflect the Chinese inspiration.
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