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faceted steel Decorative steel studs cut with the facets which were fashionable in the 18th and 19th Century and used for buttons, belts and sword hilts. Matthew Boultons factory in Birmingham and Woodstock near Oxford, were the main centres of production.
facets Small, flat surfaces ground onto cut gemstones. Some cuts enhance ccolour at the expense of perfection.
facon de Venise High- quality, late 16th and 17th Century glasss made in the
Venetian style, mainly in Britain, also in Germany and the Netherlands.
faience The name given to the French Tin-glazed earthenware which developed from Italian Maiolica. The term is also used from tin-glazed earthenware products from Germany and Scandinavia, the British equivalent of faience is Delftware.
fairings Procelain groups of animal or human figures, that were cheap and were made for sale or as prizes in fairgrounds 1860 - 90. They were
often comic in theme with innuendo captions written on them. All fairings made during this time in Germany and Austria were made for the British Market and were made in moulds and had solid bases. From 1890 hollow imitations
were being mass-produced.
fairyland lustre LUSTREWARE by Daisy Makeig Jones, decorated with fairyland scenes. Design registered by Wedgewood factory in 1915 and retailed throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
fake A genuine object which is altered, but not necessarily to deceive.
fall-front The lid on a desk or bureau that folds down to form writing surface, often supported by pull-out lopers. Also known as a drop front.
famille-rose, famille-verte French term for palates, or 'families' of enamel colours used on Chinese porcelain. Famille-verte, introduced in the mid-17thC, dominated by green but later replaced by famille-rose.
fan An essential accessory for women, especially in 18thC Europe, used to create a breeze and to communicate modesty, coyness or discrete flirting. Rigid fans of the ancient civilisations and Renaissance Europe have a long handle topped by a leaf of parchment, fabric or feathers within a rigid frame. Brise fans are made of overlapping ribs of ivory, mother of pearl or bone with a ribbon threaded through the upper ends. A cockade fan can be pleated or brise but opens out into a complete circle.
farmer's watch Type of pocket watch produced in the first half of the 19thC, the dial often painted with a rural scene.
farthing A quarter of an old British penny. It was issued in silver in the 13thC, in copper from 1672 and in bronze 1860-1956. Farthings ceased to be legal tender in 1961.
fauld See AMOUR
faux bois A French term for a painted wood that simulates an exotic wood. An effect used in the early 19thC.
Faux-montre A French term for a pill or patch box in the form of a dummy watch. Some are made of BILSTON ENAMEL.
Favrile glass An iridescent ART GLASS, mainly used for vases, developed by the US designer Louis Comfort Tiffany c.1892. Made in a variety of colours, the oil-on-water effect created by spraying the hot glass with metallic salts, or by applying acid or metallic lustres to a cooled surface.
feather-edge Patterns of fine, slanting lines that decorate the edge of silverware, engraved or brightcut. Used on FLATWARE c.1760-90 and on the handles of silver CUTLERY from the late 18thC onwards.
feet See boxes.
feldspar porcelain A type of BONE CHINA , which replaces Cornish CHINA STONE with pure feldspar. The first feldspar body was produced at COALPORT. In 1820 SPODE was the first to name the body and mark pieces.
fender A rail or screen of cast iron, copper, brass, or steel made to prevent to coals rolling out of the hearth. Fenders were introduced in the late 17thC when raised baskets or grates lifted the fire of the ground.
festival dolls English term for hinaningyo , Japanese dolls made for doll festivals at which Japanese boys and girls were initiated into traditional customs.
festoon See DECORATIVE MOTIFS.
fielded panel A raised flat panel, with bevelled edges, in a wall or a piece of furniture.
figure 1. The grain or pattern on a wood. 2. The pattern of figures or naturalistic shapes on fabric. 3. Animal or human form.
filet Netting with a pattern or design embroidered into it to resemble lace.
filigree Lace-like decoration, which used fine gold or silver wire. Widely used in Europe from the late 17thC.
Fillet A small ledge supporting a shelf. 2. A small narrow band found on furniture.
finial See KNOP
firangi An Indian sword for use with both hands. The blade was usually imported from Europe, which explains the use of the word Firangi or ‘foreigner’.
fire Bright flashes of coloured light shown by gemstones. The fire is increased by faceting. A correctly faceted diamond has more fire than any other natural colourless gemstone.
Fireback Decorative cast iron panel at the back of a fireplace to protect the adjacent wall and to retain and radiate heat.
firedogs See ANDIRONS
fire gilding SEE GILDING
fire irons Tools for stoking and cleaning a domestic fire. The set includes tongs, poker, shovel, brush and sometimes a fork. 18th C fire irons were usually made of polished iron or steel and often larger than 19th C sets, which were mostly made in brass.
firelock See FLINTLOCK and WHEELLOCK.
fire polishingMethod used to give pressed glass greater brilliance. Moulded objects at the mouth of the furnace are heated to remove the dullness caused by the trace elements in the ironmould.
firescreen See POLE SCREEN
firing The baking of ceramics in a kiln. An initial or BISCUIT firing results in a chemical reaction in the clay paste, forming a hard, rock-like body. Further firings are used to fuse the GLAZE or ENAMEL colours onto the body.
firing glass See DRAM GLASS.
Fisher, Alexander (1864-1936)
British sculptor, painter and silversmith who specialised in enamelling and known for his use of CELTIC motifs. He created a technique that gave an illusion of depth in translucent enamel.
fish pattern See HERATI PATTERN.
Fitzhugh pattern CHINESE EXPORT PORCELAIN with a trellis border in underglaze blue or overglaze iron red, and inner flower clusters, thought to named after a family who commissioned the design. Many English factories reproduced it.
Fitzroy barometer A mass-produced stick barometer which was made from c.1870. Similar to earlier marine barometers, designed by Admiral Fitzroy, it included paper weather-forecasting charts based on 'Fitzroy rules'.
flagons Large flat-bottomed vessels for serving wine or beer. They were made throughout Europe, usually in pairs. They were rare before the 17thC and had slightly tapering sides and a handle and thumbpiece, sometimes with a hinged lid. Initially made to hold communion wine, towards the end of the 17thC their use increased in taverns and households.
Flambé'A French word to describe a 'flamed' rich crimson red glaze with flashes of brilliant blue. The technique, which was created by FIRING a copper glaze in a an atmosphere that removes oxygen, was used on Chinese porcelain of the late 17th and 18th centuries. It was rediscovered and widely used in the late 19thC.
flame stitch See BARGELLO.
flange neck A Doll's neck with a ridged base used to secure a bisque, china, or composition head to a cloth body.
flashed glass A glass object that is dipped into molten glass to produce a fine outer layer. The flashing is sometimes cut or ground away to expose the bottom layer.
flask A stoppered container made to hold liquids, often alcohol. Usually made from glass, ceramic or silver. Table flasks have a bulbous body and a short neck, while smaller flasks for carrying tend to be a flattened ovoid.
flatbacks Ceramic figures intended as decorations for cottage mantelpieces. Produced mainly in the 19thC by STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERIES. Made for viewing from the front only: the backs were flat and undecorated. Reproduced in moulds and decorated in underglaze blue with bright enamel colours used as embellishment over the glaze.
flatware A silverware term which refers to articles of tableware made from a flat sheet without a cutting edge, such as spoons, forks, sifters and slicers. Also refers to other objects of a flattened form, including: plates, saucers, shallow dishes and salvers.
flatweave Term used for any form of tapestry-like carpet or rug without a pile. Includes the KILIM and SUMAKH.
Flaxman, John (1755-1826)
NEOCLASSICAL sculptor and artist who designed and modelled for WEDGWOOD, creating friezes and portrait medallions. In the late 18thC he worked mainly as a marble sculptor.
flecked glassware A form of glass decorated with random coloured specks. First developed by the Romans in 1st AD, the technique involves rolling a GATHER of molten glass over the broken chips of glass on a MARVER, and then blowing it. Flecked ware is also called NAILSEA glass, but it was also made at other factories.
Flight & Barr See WORCESTER.
flint glass See LEAD CRYSTAL
flintlock An firearm ignition mechanism used from early 17thC until the early 19thC.
flock A wallcovering made from paper or cloth. A stencilled design is picked out in glued-on-powdered wool to give a contrasting velvety texture. First used in the 17thC in both France and Britain.
Florentine mosaic See PIETRA DURA.
Florentine stitch See BARGELLO
florin First issued in Britain in 1849, a silver florin had a face value of 2s. The original gold florin existed in Florence in the 13thC.
flow blue Refers to the blurred cobalt-blue transfer prints on Staffordshire earthenware.
flower-brick Brick-shaped container with holes pierced in the top for cut flower stems. DELFTWARE versions were popular in the 18thC.
flower table Table or stand intended for holding plants or cut flowers. Sometimes made with an inset, wire-covered tray filled with wet sand.
flute Tall, stemmed drinking glass for wine with a slender bowl which flares out or narrows at the rim.
fluting Semicircular parallel grooves which run up a column.
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