San Francisco Antiques - Urban Chateau - Our glossary of Antique Terminology

Cabinet Furniture
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| MAIN GLOSSARY | GLOSSARY OF wood |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

MAGOT
Term used to describe a highly decorative figural sculpture of a seated Chinese philosopher.

MANIERISMO PERIOD (1520-1600)
A style in art, furniture and architecture originating in Italy as a reaction against the balance of form and proportions characteristic of the high Renaissance. Mannerists designed compositions in which they deliberately confused scale and spatial relationships.

MARQUETRY
The process of making patterns with luxurious material, such as exotic woods or ivory, inlaid piece by piece into a wood surface in an intricate design and veneered to another surface, especially of furniture, for decoration. Often showcases the contrasts between many species of wood. Shapes, often scrolls, leaves, flowers, birds and insects were used to form a pictorial composition. Originally started as a technique from the Dutch craftsmen the technique swept down through Europe to France during the reign of Louis XIV.

MARQUISE CHAIR
An extra wide French fauteuil or armchair.

MASCARON
The head of a fantastical man, woman, or animal.

MASK
A human face, frontally displayed and without caricature or exaggeration.

MAT OR MATTED
A matted texture produced by punching small dots or circles closely over the surface; commonly found contrasting with highly burnished areas. Also the process of dulling a surface or finish, as of silver and gold.

MEDALLION
A round or oval decorative element containing a motif. In chairs a round or oval back.

MENUISIER
A furniture-maker specializing in frame furniture and solid-wood furniture in the 18th and 19th centuries.

MEUBLES
The French name for furniture

MOLDING
In architecture, furniture, and decorative objects, a surface or group of surfaces of projecting or receding contours. A molding may serve as a defining element, terminating a unit or an entire composition (e.g., in the cap of a column or the crowning cornice of a building) or establishing a boundary or transition between portions of a design. One of the primary considerations in the design of a molding is the type of shadow it will cast. The shape of a molding is termed its profile or section.

MORTISE & TENON
A joint in which the projecting tongue (tenon) is inserted into a rectangular cavity (mortise) and held in place by pegs.

MOSAIC
Decorative inlays of small pieces of glass or stone pieces within a second material base. Ancient preserved mosaics are the most prised.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL
A hard iridescent substance that forms the lining of certain mollusk shells. Like the pearl, it is a secretion of the mantle, composed of alternate layers of calcium carbonate and conchiolin. Used to make decorative objects, especially as decorative inlay since the 16th century. Also called nacre.

MOTIF
The distinctive feature or element of design or ornament used by furniture designers during specific periods through History.

MOTTLED
In veneers, the spotted, speckled or blotchy figures.

MOUNTS
Crafted from metal and affixed to an item. Especially used by the French to enhance the display of a treasured object, such as porcelain, bronzes and exotic materials. French in origin, the mount was cast from molten bronze then chased, decorated or gilded.

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