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The antique marks glossary - antique terms beginning with
A and everything from acanthus to ayrshire and air twist to
art deco.
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The Antique Marks Glossary covering acanthus to ayrshire antique
terms. Below you will find antique related words or antique
terms begining with 'a'.
Our
antique terms 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 tried to
index each term so that you may link to the explanation when
the word or term appears in other pages on the site.
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 The
most important Finnish architect of the 20th century,
Alvar Aalto was a central figure in international modernism.
His greatest buildings, like the 1927 Viipuri Library
and 1928 Paimio Sanatorium, fused the naturalism of Finnish
romanticism with modernist ideals: as did his influential
furniture and glassware.
Born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto in 1898 in the Finnish town
of Kuortane, he graduated in architecture from the Helsinki
University of Technology in 1921 before assisting the
Swedish architect Arvid Bjerke. Back in Finland in 1924,
he opened the Alvar Aalto Office for Architecture and
Monumental Art in Jyväskylä, and emblazoned
the name beside the entrance in two-foot-high letters
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The
word abacus has meaning in Greek architecture as the name
for a slab of marble on top of the capital of a column.
The column capital is at the top of the column and so
the square block of marble that is the abacus rests right
under whatever the column is supporting
An
abacus is also a calculation tool, often constructed as
a wooden frame with beads sliding on wires. It was in
use centuries before the adoption of the written Hindu-Arabic
numeral system and is still widely used by merchants and
clerks in the People's Republic of China, Japan, Africa,
and elsewhere
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Term
introduced in the late 19th C. for imitation jacobean,
tudor, stuart and gothic furniture made in the 1830's.
It was named after Abbottsford the Scottish home of the
18thC. poet sir Walter Scott, who furnished the house
in that style
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abrash
(carpets - decoration - oriental)
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Term
used to describe the faint banding of colour shades usually
found in vegetable dyed oriental carpets. abrash 'shading'
is so common as to be an identifying characteristic of
the so-called 'Mohtaschem' group of Kashan rugs from the
1890-1910 period.
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Acacia
is a durable whitish-yellow wood with brown veining. Used
veneer in late 17th and 18th centuries; as a decorative
crossbanding in 19th century furniture and in chairs and
boxes in the arts and crafts movement.
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The
acanthus is one of the most common ornaments used to depict
folliage. Architectural ornaments are carved in stone
or wood in the appearance of leaves from the Mediterranean
acanthus spinosus plant, with some resemblance to thistle,
poppy and parsley leaves. Acanthus leaf ornamentation
is also used in furniture, particluarly in borders, and
in ceramics too.
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A
series of narrow machine made, overlapping, pleats often
used in lightweight fabrics and furnishings.
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Used
in telescopes and microscopes an 18thC. development combining
flint glass and crown glass to remove distorting colour
fringes from the image. It was patented by Englishman
John Dollond in 1758.
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A
process, mainly used for glass decoration, where the glass
surface is treated with hydrofluoric acid. Acid-etched
glass has a distinctive, uniformly smooth and satin-like
appearance
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A
process used on ceramics to give a contrasting matt and
polished gilt surface. The technique was introduced by
Minton in the late 19thC. and later used by other firms.
When the ceramic body is gilded and polished the acid
treated areas are left matt.
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This
chemical process restires the polished surface to glass
after cutting. The glass is dipped in an acid solution
which rmoves a fine surface layer.
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An
ornament of wood or metal resembling an acorn. Mainly
found in Jacobean furniture as finials on chairs and bedposts
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A
pewter vessel about 12" (30cm) in height.
It's base isthe shape of an acorn cup and it
has a domed acorn like cover, capped by a finial. Used
for serving wine or ale in Yorkshire in the 18thC.  Also
known as a York Flagon.
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Large
Georgian wall clock with a weight driven movement. Formerly
a tavern clock but the name changed after a 1797-8 act
of parliament taxed clocks and timepieces, resulting in
private owners putting clocks away and relying on public
clocks. The act was repealed after a petition by clockmakers.
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Principle
Neo-classical architect and designer. The ambitious son
of a leading Scottish architect who developed his own
classical style and introduced classical motifs such as
garlands, husks, palmettes, anthemion, urns and cameos
to architectural design.
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File
marks found on some pre-19thC. coins, which have been
filed down to the correct weight. A common practice undertaken
since ancient times. Excess metal was filed off overweight
blanks before the coins were struck to ensure a consistent
weight.
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Large
17thC. German drinking vessel. Cylindrical in shape and
often lidded and with enamel decoration.
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adze
(furniture - wood working tool)
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A
long handled axe with the blade set at right angles to
the shaft. Used in furniture making for heavy trimming
and shaping. Windsor chair seats are shaped with an adze.
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A
late 19thC. technique for applying colour to cermics through
a stencil using an airbrush or atomiser. Results in soft
edged, slightly granular images and was often use to dress
cheap porcelain.
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A
decorative arts movement with a strong Japanese influence,
that flourished in the UK from c1870. Declined in the
late 1880's and was recognised in the USA but not in France
or other parts opf Europe. Overlapped with the arts
and crafts movement and was just before the art
nouveau period.
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German
for monkey band. A set of porcelain monkey musicians introduced
by meissen in the mid-18thC. and comprising some 20 figures.
Copied and reproduced by other European factories in the
19thC.
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agate
(semi-precious stone)
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A
fine grained quartz used as a semi-precious stone in cameo
and intaglio work and in some signet rings and brooches.
Displays as variegated tones of browns and oranges or
greys or greens, usually with milky bands, when polished.
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Produced
in the 18thc. a staffordshire pottery imitating the veinign
and colouring of agate. Produced by wedgwood and whieldon
in two types. Solid agate; by kneeding
two or more types of clay to produce a marbling effect
throughout the body and surface agate;
using a coloured liquid clay slip over a plain earthenware
body.
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A
slim decorated case complete with pencil and note pad,
usually pocket sized. 18thC. aide-memoires could have
ivory leaves. The cases were usually decorated in gold,
silver, ivory, enamelling or tortoiseshell.
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aigrette
(decoration - gold or silver ornament)
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A
gold or silver hair or hat ornament in the shape of a
feather or a holder for a feather. Fashionable in the
17thC. and 18thC. with revived interest in the late 19thC.
to early 20thC.
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Bubbles
of air either circular or tear shaped as decorative motifs
within glassware. The molten glass is pricked with a metal
point and glass drawn over the point. The tear shape is
formed as the glass is drawn into shape.
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A
form of decoration using a column of trapped air incorporated
in the stem of a drinking glass. Usually 18thC. Also --
opaque twists
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aka-e
(ceramics - japanese - decoration - imari)
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A
Japanese term meaning "red painting" and referring
to over-glaze enameled decoration. Japanese aka-e was
influenced by Chinese over-glaze enamel decoration from
the late Ming dynasty periods of Jiajing, Wanli and Tianqi.
The Japanese wares of Imari, Arita, Kakiemon, Nabeshima,
and Kutani are well known for aka-e.
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The
London glass merchant that introduced cut glass to the
UK.
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A
dense finely grained mineral with marble like qualities.
A form of gypsum, normally white, yellow or red. Translucent
when finely cut, easy to carve and used in the late 18thC.
for fashionable pedestals, vases and clock cases.
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A
cylindrical ceramic drug pot with a slight waist and a
groove around the rim for securing a parchment cover.
Albarelli originated in Persia in the 12thC. and maiolica
versions were made in Spain and Italy in the 15th and
16th centuries. Dutch and English delftware versions appeared
in the 19thC.
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albert
(colocks & watches - pocket watch chain)
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A
single or double, usually silver or gold, chain with a
bar at one end for seating in a buttonhole and a swivel
attachment at the other for holding a pocket watch. Named
after a chain presented to Prince Albert in 1845.
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A
personalised patchwork quilt, where the design is significant
to the recipient. May have names and dates stitched into
some patches. Fashionable in the USA in the mid-19thC..
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The
soft white wood, newly formed, between the outer bark
and the heartwood.
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alder
(wood - country furniture)
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A
durable north European wood that polishes to a knotty
finish. Flesh coloured and used in the 18th & 19th
centuries for country furniture. Sometimes for turned
members on Windsor chairs.
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A
stemmed glass used for drinking ale and dating to the
18thC. Similar to wine glasses but with an elongated bowl.
After 1740 some were engraved with hops and barley or
ocassionally enamelled. Short stemmed versions are known
as dwark or short ales. 19thC. glasses are similar to
modern champagne flutes.
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Established
in North West France in 1675, the Alencon lace factory
flourished under Napoleon. Point d'Alencon refers to needlepoint
lace with distinctive filling between the mesh.
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A
wide tapestry with a central image surrounded by a border
simulating gilded wood, then bordered by rich ornamentation
of flowers and figures. First intorduce in 1714 at Gobelins
factory in France.
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A
copper or brass cup used for warming ale over an open
fire. Usually with a wooden or iron handle. 18thC. examples
were shaped like large boots or shoes. Cone shaped, donkey
ear, cups appeared in the late-18thC. and modern reproductions
are common.
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Discovered
in the Ural mountain sof Russia in 1830, a green/brown
gemstone that glints with varying shades of red under
artificial light. Corundum, sold in the middle east, exhibits
similar colour changes but is of little value.
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A
transparent art glass patented by Thomas Webb & Sons
in 1866. The glass has colour gradations of citron-yellow
through to rose and blue, produced by reheating individual
parts of the glass during production. Later designs are
cut through an outer layer of rose and blue glass to reveal
a clear yellow base.
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Established
in 1750 a scottish glass factory specialising in dark
green bottles, that were roughly stipple engraved with
commemorative names and dates. Common dates are 1830 and
1850.
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A
carpet design or pattern based on a repeating motif covering
the main area or field and stopping within the borders.
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alloy
(metalware - bronze - pewter - brass)
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Formed
by melting together two or more elements such as copper,
zinc and tin, to produce a more durable or more easily
worked metal such as bronze, pewter or tin. Also sterling
silver which can contain a proportion of copper or some
other base metal.
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Discovered
in 1827 aluminium is a very light, silver coloured metal
and was used occasionally in the 1850's for figurines
and plaques and was sometimes combined with gold for jewellery.
Became very fashionable in the 1920's during the Art Deco
period for cocktail equipment, ashtrays, jelly moulds,
tea and coffee pots.
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amalgam
(metalware - mercury alloy)
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An
alloy where mercury is combined with another metal. Usually
tin, silver or gold.
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amatory
(jewellery - amorous love tokens)
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Brooches,
rings and other jewellery decorate with amorous motifs
or inscriptions and designed to be given as love tokens.
Very popular in the 17thC. and sometimes set with a lock
of hair. Great demand for brooches in late Victorian times.
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amber
(gemstone - fossilised resin)
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Usually
pale yellow fossilised resin from the prehistoric pine
tree. Can range in colour from pale yellow to honey, reddish
brown and brown. the most sought after and best quality
is clear. Rare samples contain insects although they can
be introduce artificially. Also Sea amber from the Baltic
Sea and pit amber mined in Burma, Poland, Mexico and other
places. Amber was popular among Celtic Britains and Victorian
Britains.
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amberina
(glass - decorative art glass - joseph locke
1883)
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Art
glass developed by Joseph Locke at the New England glass
Co. in 1883. Produced in shades from golden amber to deep
red. Widely produced in the USA and in north east England.
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amboyna
(wood - est indies - padouk)
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A
mottled-reddish brown, durable wood with a tight grain,
found in the East Indies. Used by 18thC. cabinet makers
for high quality decoration in veneers, inlaid decoration
and banding.
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General
tem for a light portable occasional table such as a work
table or bedside table that had no fixed position. Used
during the 18thC. in France.
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A
rare british wine glass with a drawn stem and the bowl
engraved with a Jacobite hymn ending in amen. Produced
circa 1745.
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Furniture
and architectural design in north america, dating between
the early 17thC. pioneer settlements and the setup of
the federal government in 1789.
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Furniture
designed in the early years of American independence,
1789-1830, usually decorated with patriotic or military
symbols.
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amethyst
(gemstone - semi-precious quartz - citrine)
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A
semi-precious quartz ranging in colour from pale mauve
to deep purple. Turns golden yellow when heated to form
citrine.
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amorini
(furniture - decoration - ornaments)
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Italian
reference for the winged cupids used as ornamental subjects
during the renaissance period and later. A common feature
of crestings and stretchers of chairs, cabinet stands
and tables. Used on ceramics from 1660 to 1680.
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amphora
(ceramics - decorative jar)
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 A
twin handled jar with a large round body and a narrow
neck. Used in ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese times for
storing wine and oil. Popular ornaments in neo-classical
Europe during the 18thC. especially in silverware. Also
as a decorative motif on Antwerp lace.
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ampulla
(ceramics - roman - amphora)
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An
ancient roman two handled container used for wine or water.
Later as a decorative ornament. A smaller version of an
amphora.
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An
area of Turkey which is part of the Asian continent, referred
to when dealing with carpets.
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andirons
(metalware - decorative log burning grate
- firedogs)
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Widley
used prior to the establishment of the traditional grate,
and consited of a pair of metal fir irons placed at either
end of an open hearth to support the burning of logs.
Mainly replaced by coal burning stoves in the 17th and
18th centuries except in country areas. Decorative versions
introduced in the 19thC. Also known as firedogs and sometimes
cast in the shape of seated hounds. Mutli-footed versions
are known as firecats s they land on their feet when dropped.
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An
instrument for measuring wind force.
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Introduced
c1850 as a domestic barometer. It utilises disc like flexible
bellows that contain a partial vacuum instead of the typical
column of mercury. As air pressure changes the bellows
enlarge and move a pointer set against a dial. Aneroid
comes from the Greek meaning liquid-free.
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angel
(coins - hammered gold)
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A
British 15th to 17th century hammered gold coin that depicts
St Micheal spearing a dragon. First issued in the UK in
the 1460's and replaced the noble. Initial value was a
third of a pound or 6s 8d. Later revalued to 11 shillings.
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British
silversmith producing elaborate claret jugs, centrepieces
and coffee sets decorated in the the rococco style with
complex chased relief work. Exhibited at the great exhibition
of 1851.
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A
barometer where the upper part of the mercury tube is
almost horizontal. The visible part of the scale is longer
than in a stick barometer and readings are clearer. Introduce
in the 18thC. and also known as signpost or diagonal barometers.
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18thC.
chair with a single front leg and low back and top rail.
Also known as a corner chair or writing chair.
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Furniture
first manufactured on the Indian sub-continent in the
mid-18thC. Usually European designs and often inlaid with
ivory. Production continued until the end of the 19thC..
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18th
and 19th century porcelain decoration used at the Paris
factory owned by Louis, Duke of Angouleme. Originally
a feature of Chantilly porcelain and later copied by Derby,
Worcester and Lowestoft. Also known as barbeau, French
for cornflower..
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hua (ceramics - chinese - secret decoration)
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A
delicate design incised or scored on a porcelian body
before glazing and only visible when the finished piece
is held up to the light. Sometimes occurs in the Ming
dynasty from the early 15thC. and the Qing dynasty 1723
to 1735.
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Chemical
dyes introduced in 1870 and used in carpets and other
textiles. Tended to run and replaced by colour-fast chrome
dyes in the early 20thC..
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Furniture
fashioned around birds and animals fresh from the taxidermist,
produced to fuel demand by late-victorians. Typical items
being elephant feet stands, stuffed bird lamp bases and
tiger skin covered chairs.
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19thC.
French sculptors specialising, usually in bronze, in the
manufacture of small lifelike models of birds and other
animals.
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An
ornament or motif representing an intertwined, elongated
and stylised animal form usully seen in celtic work.
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A
process involving the repeated heating and cooling of
glass to add strength without cracking. Also use with
some metals.
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annulet
(architecture - cabinet making - heraldry)
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In
archecture and cabinet making a narrow band circling a
column. In heraldry a small circle or ring in a coat of
arms.
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A
styilised honeysuckle motif.
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A
piece of loose material used to protect an upholstered
chair back from stains. 18thC. silk versions were used
to protect against powdered wigs and greasy make-up. Victorian
versions usually made of white crochet. Named for macassar
oil used as a hair dressing by 19thC. gentlemen.
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An
element with hardening properties used in some alloys,
including pewter.
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Principally
an object valued for its age, workmanship, or rarity.
Usually an object that is more than 100 years old.
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antwerp
(textiles - tapestry and lace making)
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Originally
in the Nehterlands and in Belgium from 1832, a centre
for tapestry and lace-making. The tapestry industry peaked
in the 17thC. with superb designs emulating the paintings
of Rubens.
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16thC.
tin glazed earthenware inspired by Italian maiolica. Suffered
a decline as Delft beacme established.
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ao
(ceramics - japanese - kutani ware)
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Green
Japanese kutani porcelain with a straw coloured stoneware
body. The assymetrical brocade or geometric panels outlined
in black and filled with translucent enamels. Deep green
is most common but smokey yellow, aubergine, blue and
iron red are also seen. Some piece have completely green
bottoms. some date form the 17thC. but most pieces in
Europe from the 19thC.
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aogai
(decoration - japanese - mother of pearl)
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Japanese
mother-of-pearl decoration used on lacquered pieces and
introduced c1620. In the 18thC. the japanese somada school
introduced a style of mosaic work using fine aogai slivers,
which was widely copied throughout the 19thC.
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Large
17thC. German drinking vessel. Cylindrical in shape and
often lidded and with enamel decoration depicting religious
scenes.
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Usually
a set of thirteen silver spoons decorated with figures
of christ and the twelve apostles mounted on the top of
the handles. The figures identified by different emblems
held in their hands. Also seen in pewter and brass. Earliest
versions c1460. Common to see mass produced 19thC. coffee
spoon versions made in the UK with a single apostle figure.
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A
very hard reddish brown fruitwood with an irregular grain.
Particularly suited to turning and mostly used for chair
legs, stretchers and spindles on country furniture in
the late 17th and 18th centuries. Often ebonised (stained
black) or gilded and used for applied carvings, inlay
or picture frames.
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A
surface ornament, carved or modelled then fixed to the
surface of an item.
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The
lower front edge of a piece of furniture. Sometimes bordering
the surface of a table or the seat of a chair.
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A
blue green variety of the gemstone Beryl, produce by heat
treatment. Greenish styles fashionable in the 19thC. and
sky-blue popular since the 1920's.
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An
etching process invented in the 1760's that enables several
tones of varying depth to be produced on a print. Tiny
particles of resin are dusted onto a printing plate and
fused by heat then areas not to be printed are coated
with a special varnish. The plate is exposed to acid which
bites into the exposed metal producing tonal areas like
those in an ink wash drawing.
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Used
in coin catalogues to depict silver. An abbreviation of
the latin argentum.
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An
interwoven, symmetrical pattern of branches, tendrils
and scrolls. Often used in islamic and hispanic designs
and popular in Europe c1760 to 1790.
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A
bow mounted on a wooden tiller, with a cord drawn by hand
or by mechanical means. The arbalest is usually known
as a crossbow and fired quarrels. Popular with hunters
and target shooters.
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arbor (clock
and watches - mechanism)
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A
shaft, axle or spindle that carries a wheel and pinion
in a clock, watch or music-box mechanism.
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After
graduating from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Arbus joined
his father's Toulouse cabinet making firm, which he later
headed. Exhibiting in the Paris Salons from 1926 onwards,
he moved to the capital in I930. Arbus was awarded the
Prix Blumenthal in 1935 and exhibited at the great International
Exhibitions in Brussels (1935), Paris(1937) and New York
(1939). He ended the firm's production of eighteenth century
style furniture, and his own designs were very much inspired
by the more stylised classicism of the French Empire.
He rejected the rhetoric of the UAM, continuing his workshop
system and incorporating luxurious veneers, bleached animal
hide vellum and gilt mounts in his furniture.
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arcadian
(ceramics - crested ware - stoke-on-trent)
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A
19th and 20th century Stoke-On-Trent pottery producing
crested ware as militaria, animals and particularly black
cats in various poses.
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A
decorative motif consisting of a series of arches often
found on furniture backs and on panelsfrom the late 16th
and the 17th centuries.
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arcanum
(ceramics - european porcelain formula)
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The secret composition and method of producing hard-paste
porcelain. Discovered by Bottger and Trim working under
the direction of Augustus The Strong. The arcanum was
a closely guarded secret at meissen by was eventually
distributed by ex-meissen employees (arcanists) who left
to start their own porcelain factories or to work for
other heads of state who financed the set-up of their
own manfactories.
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An
18thC. table used by artists, draughtsmen and architects,
where the top tilits on a ratchet to form a drawing board.
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The
usual term for furniture and clocks decorated with architectural
features such as columns and pediments.
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The
description given to the moulded frame around windows,
doorways and panelling in furniture.
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An
oil lamp invented in Geneva in 1782 widely made in the
USA and in Europe. Fitted with adjustable burners from
1810.
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A
marketing name for nickel silver. a white alloy of nickel,
copper and zinc often used as he base metal for electroplating.
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French
needlepoint lace often showing flowers on a hexagonal
background. First seen in the late 17thC.
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argyle
(metalware - silver - argyll - gravy container)
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An
18thC. gravy container usually made from silver or Sheffield
silver plate. Gravy is held in an inner cavity and kept
warm with hot water housed in an outer cavity. Reputed
to have been invented by the Duke of argyll.
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Devloped
in sweden in 1936 a form of art glass that contains trapped
channels or bubbles of air. Patterns are sandblasted onto
a glass core which is then covered by another layer of
glass, trapping the air where the pattern has been cut
away.
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arita
(japanese - imari and kakiemon ceramics)
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The
centre for Japanese ceramics form the early 17thC. Known
as the home of imari and kakiemon porcelain.
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Usually
an oak chest with a canted cover and made by an arkwright.
Used for storing flour or meal and common in the north
of England until the 19thC..
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An
iron-bound strong box usually of german manufacture and
used for storing valuables in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Often used by officers at sea and bolted to the deck of
the owners cabin. Named for the chests suposed to have
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