The antique marks glossary - antique terms n covering everything from nailsea to nymphenburg.

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The list is not exhaustive but we will add to it as time goes by. The descriptions detailed are only intended to be relevant to how the word or term relates to antiques and although the same word may have other meanings in other contexts, we have not and do not intend to detail those meanings here. In some instances we have included pictures to enhance the meaning of the word or term and we have also indexed each word in order that you may link to the explanation when the word or term appears in other pages on the site.

nabeshima (ceramic - japanese - okawachi)

Japanese porcelain made at Okawachi, 5 miles (8 km) north of arita.

 

Nabeshima is the name of a Japanese prince who founded the kilns at the end of the 17thC.

 

The porcelain was made as presentation ware for the local nobility and was of significantly higher quality than most of that exported to Western markets. Most of Nabeshima porcelain made between the Enpou era (1673-1681) and around 1750 have been colored with four colors; red, blue, green, yellow, and the designs were adopted from plants or patterns on kimonos.

 

Nabeshima was characterised by sophisticated decoration and limited shapes, particularly in the first half of the 18thC. Much of the decoration was outlined in underglaze blue and filled with overglaze enamels. Thick celadon glazes, often combined with blue and white or enamelled designs, were also used.

nacre (jewellery - mother of pearl)

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is the basic substance which is secreted by oysters and mollusks to form the inside of their shells. When nacre secretions are deposited around a foreign substance which has invaded the mollusk's body, they build up to form a pearl.

Nacre is composed of layers of calcium carbonate (in a crystalline form) and conchiolin (an organic protein substance which provides bonding).

The specific luster, iridescence, and coloring of nacre and, therefore, of any pearl which it forms depends on the number and thickness of the various layers, as well as on whether or not the layers overlap one another.

 

nails (furniture - country furniture - roman)

Hand-made nails were used particularly from Roman times for fixing hinges and locks before the advent of screws. They were also used concurrently with wooden dowels, for joining planks before the introduction of mortise and tenon joints, although they are seen on country furniture made well into the 18thC. Machine-made nails were made from the early 19thC.

nailsea glasshouse (glass - bristol - sheet glass)

16th .

nailsea glass (glass - flecked - bristol)

Bristol glassworks operating 1788-1873. It produced crown and sheet glass, bottles, household ware and flasks. The household wares were made in a pale green glass with no decoration. The flecked and festooned glassware, including jugs, carafes, rolling pins and flasks, which is often called Nailsea glass was almost certainly made elsewhere.

namas (carpets - prayer rug - namazlyk)

Also known as namazlyk. See prayer rug .

nancy school (art nouveau - french - emile galle)

Late 19thC French art nouveau design group with a philosophy of combining art with nature, founded by French designer Emile gallé. Members of the school included the sculptor, painter and designer Victor Prouvé (1858-1943), glass artists Auguste and Antonin daum, and metalworker and cabinet­maker Louis majorelle .

nanking ware (ceramic - chinese - blue & white)

Traditional though misleading name given to blue and white chinese export porcelain made at Jingdezhen. The wares were shipped to Europe via the city of Nanking (Nanjing) during the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were usually decorated with Chinese landscapes and buildings, and sometimes with European-influenced borders .

nashiji (decoration - japanese lacquer )

Japanese lacquer technique developed in the early 19thC. Flecks of gold, silver, copper or metal alloys were evenly sprinkled between layers of clear or coloured lacquer, creating a speckled appearance similar to that of aventurine glass. (Nashiji is Japanese for 'pear-skin ground'.

john nash (architect - regency style - 1752-1835)

An architect whose building style epitomised regency taste.

naturalistic style (furniture - british - carved)

Term generally used to describe a British furniture style fashionable c. 1840-65. It was characterised by flowing curves and leaves and flowers elaborately carved in deep relief- as well as luxurious, informal, deep-cushioned chairs.

nautilus cup (silver - drinking cup - nautilus shell)

Drinking cup made from the snail-like nautilus seashell, with silver or silver-gilt mounts. The cups were made in the 16th and 17th centuries, primarily in Italy, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, although some British examples do survive. They were intended for display rather than use. The mounts are usually decorated with figures and shapes associated with the sea, such as mermaids.

 

navajo rug (carpets - navajo indian - abstract design)

Rugs woven by the Navajo Indians in the south-west USA from the late 19thC. Early abstract designs were replaced by pictorial rugs in the early 20thC, but the 1930s saw a revival of traditional designs and the use of vegetable dyes .

necessaire (boxes - case - travelling - shagreen)

Small case made of wood covered in leather or shagreen, or sometimes silver or enamel, designed to carry travel necessities, such as toiletries or sewing equipment. Necessaires were particularly popular in the 18thC and were also made in the 19thC .

needle painting (embroidery - silk - watercolour)

Silk and satin embroidered pictures painted with watercolour in parts and produced in quantity during the late 18th and early 19th centuries .

needlepoint (textile - lace)

see lace

nef (furniture - medieval - table ship)

Medieval table ornament in the shape of a fully rigged ship, usually made of silver set with precious stones or enamelled. It was used to hold a nobleman's or guest of honour's wine, eating utensils, or as a ceremonial salt container. The nef was much copied in silver during the 19thC .

nelme, anthony (silver - silversmith - AN)

1722) London silversmith who made articles such as candlesticks, teapots and pilgrim bottles, marked 'AN' or 'Ne'. His son Francis carried on the business .

neoclassical (style - greek - roman)

Style based on the decorative forms of ancient Greece and Rome which dominated design in architecture, furniture and ornamentation in late 18thC Europe. The architect Inigo Jones used Classical themes in the early 17thC, inspired by the work of Italian renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (see palladian). In the mid- 18thC the true Neoclassical period emerged in France - following the excavation of Pompeii - and proceeded to spread throughout Europe. In Britain architect-designer Robert Adam was the main proponent .

netsuke (japanese - ornament - obi - inro)

Ornamental Japanese toggle worn at the waist above the obi or sash. A cord passed through holes in the base from which was hung an inro or a pouch. Netsuke were made from the 17thC in a wide variety of materials, but became redundant when the Japanese adopted Western dress in the 1870s. Most take the form of figures, animals or plants but there are some variations: Manju (rice cake) resembles a bun - either solid or pierced. Ichiraku is made from woven or braided metal, rattan palm or bamboo, forming a basketwork box or gourd. Kagamibuta is a shallow bowl with a decorated metal lid. Sashi netsuke are rod-shaped, up to 5 in (12.5 cm) long, typically depicting an insect or animal perched on a twig or branch.