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

Cabinet Furniture
Seating Furniture
Tables
Mirrors, Brackets & Frames
Other Furniture
Lighting
Architectural Elements
Fine Arts
Objets D'Art
Decoration
Textiles
STILL AVAILABLE

| 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

RAFRAICHISSOIR
A small chest equipped with wine coolers raised on four legs.

RAIL
A horizontal piece in the framework of a chair meant to support vertical members.

RECAMIER
Term for a daybed or sofa with one high end and one open low end. Takes its name from the 19th century French beauty Juliette Recamier, who often posed on such a sofa for portraits.

REEDING
Decorative motif of parallel, convex reed molding. It is the opposite of fluting.

REGENCE PERIOD (1715-1723)
French transitional period during which France was ruled by a Regent, Philippe d?Orl?ans, because the next in line for the throne, Louis XV, was too young to rule. This was a transitional period in furniture design gradually changing from the Baroque to the Rococo. One of the most beautiful of French periods.

RENAISSANCE (1500-1610)
The Renaissance period covered the majority of16th century design through the reigns of Francois I and Henry II. The Renaissance moved into France in great waves of Italian influence. Influence included Flemish, German and Spanish influences in marquetry and other details. Oak was the wood of choice which was waxed and rubbed to a deep finish. Surface carving covered the entire furniture peice mainly in figural, olive, laurel and acanthus motifs.

RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1500-1610) FRENCH STYLE DERIVED FROM THE ITALIAN RINASCIMENTO STYLE. MAINLY
consisting of functional oak furniture with scroll and arabesque details and emphasis on the horizontality.

REPOUSS
The process or the product of ornamenting metallic surfaces with designs in relief hammered out from the back by hand (a technique often used before the piece is finished from the front by chasing). Gold and silver are most commonly used today for fine work, but copper and tin are suitable for the purpose, and bronze was extensively used in past times. The process is of ancient origin, having been employed by most early civilizations. Among the finest examples of repouss? are the famous bronze armor of Greece of the 4th century B.C., Byzantine religious works, and much of the gold and bronze work of Benvenuto Cellini. The process is distinct from embossing, in which the relief ornament is produced by use of dies.

RESTORATION PERIOD (1815-1830)
After the fall of Napoleon?s Empire, the brother of Louis XVI became Louis XVIII who was in turned replaced by another brother Charles X. Neither greatly affected the trends in design except for a romantic movement in Orientalism. In 1830, Louis-Philippe ended the succession.

RINASCIMENTO PERIOD (1450-1550)
The period referring to the Renaissance in Italy.

RINCEAU(X)
A decorative motif composed of scrolling foliage.

ROCAILLE
Rococo form of decoration using C and S-scolls and natural forms.

ROCOCO PERIOD (1740-1775)
An exuberant curvaceous style characterized by asymmetrical lines and natural forms including inspired by nature such as shell, floral and foliate motifs. This style was characteristic of the Louis XV period and provided the decorative forms for the gardens of Versailles.

ROEMER
A traditional 16th Century Northern European drinking glass for Rhenish wine with a bowl, a hollow cylindrical stem and conical foot made of a single spiral of glass thread. These glasses appear throughout Flemish Old Master Paintings of the 17th century.

ROSETTE
An ornamental motif in the shape of a star or rose.

ROSSO ANTICO
The name given by Josiah Wedgwood to his unglazed red pottery.

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