Decorative Arts, ORV-PRI
People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. That’s where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
Decorative Arts Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Orvieto ware
Orvieto ware, Italian maiolica, a tin-glazed earthenware produced originally at Orvieto, in Umbria, from the 13th......
Ottoman
Ottoman, deeply upholstered seat of any shape, with or without a back, introduced into Europe in the late 18th......
Ottoman court carpet
Ottoman court carpet, floor covering handwoven under the earlier Ottoman sultans of Turkey. Extremely fine, handsome......
Ottweiler porcelain
Ottweiler porcelain, true, or hard-paste, German porcelain produced in the Rhineland from 1763 onward. The factory......
Oudry, Jean-Baptiste
Jean-Baptiste Oudry was a French Rococo painter, tapestry designer, and illustrator, considered one of the greatest......
ozier pattern
ozier pattern, in tableware, molded basket-weave pattern produced in Germany in the 1730s on Meissen porcelain......
O’Gorman, Juan
Juan O’Gorman was a Mexican architect and muralist, known for his mosaic designs that adorned the facades of buildings.......
packaging
packaging, the technology and art of preparing a commodity for convenient transport, storage, and sale. Though......
paisley
paisley, textile pattern characterized by colourful, curved abstract figures; it is named for the shawls manufactured......
Pajamas
Pajamas, loose, lightweight trousers first worn in the East, or a loose two-piece suit consisting of trousers and......
palas
palas, pileless, handwoven floor covering made in most of the rug-weaving areas of the Middle East. The term is......
Palissy, Bernard
Bernard Palissy was a French Huguenot potter and writer, particularly associated with decorated rustic ware, a......
Pan
Pan, type of Chinese bronze vessel produced during the Shang dynasty (c. 18th–12th century bc) and, more commonly,......
Panderma rug
Panderma rug, any of several types of floor coverings handwoven at Panderma (now Bandırma), a town in Turkey on......
Paneling
Paneling, in architecture and design, decorative treatment of walls, ceilings, doors, and furniture consisting......
pao
pao, wide-sleeved robe of a style worn by Chinese men and women from the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220) to the end......
papier-mâché
papier-mâché, repulped paper that has been mixed with glue or paste so that it can be molded. The art of making......
Parfleche
Parfleche, tough, folded rawhide carrying bag made by the Plains Indians of North America; more loosely applied,......
Parian ware
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Paris ware
Paris ware, faience (tin-glazed earthenware) and porcelain ware produced in the Paris region from the 16th century.......
park
park, large area of ground set aside for recreation. The earliest parks were those of the Persian kings, who dedicated......
Parka
Parka, hip-length, hooded jacket traditionally made of caribou, seal, or other fur, worn as an outer garment by......
Parsons table
Parsons table, simple, sturdy rectangular table having straight lines, overall flush surfaces, and square legs......
parterre
parterre, the division of garden beds in such a way that the pattern is itself an ornament. It is a sophisticated......
parure
parure, matched set of jewelry consisting of such pieces as earrings, bracelet, brooch, necklace, and ring. By......
paste
paste, heavy, very transparent flint glass that simulates the fire and brilliance of gemstones because it has relatively......
patch box
patch box, small, usually rectangular, sometimes oval box used mostly as a receptacle for beauty patches, especially......
patchwork
patchwork, the process of joining strips, squares, triangles, hexagons, or other shaped pieces of fabric (also......
Paterna ware
Paterna ware, tin-glazed earthenware produced in the 14th and 15th centuries at Paterna, near Valencia, in eastern......
patio
patio, in Spanish and Latin American architecture, a courtyard within a building, open to the sky. It is a Spanish......
Patola
Patola, type of silk sari (characteristic garment worn by Indian women) of Gujarati origin, the warp and weft being......
Patralata
Patralata, decorative motif in Indian art, consisting of a lotus rhizome (underground plant stem). A cosmology......
pattern glass
pattern glass, pressed glassware produced in sets of many pieces decorated with the same pattern. Manufactured......
pavilion
pavilion, light temporary or semipermanent structure used in gardens and pleasure grounds. Although there are many......
peachblow glass
peachblow glass, American art glass made in the latter part of the 19th century by factories such as the Mount......
pearl
pearl, concretion formed by a mollusk consisting of the same material (called nacre or mother-of-pearl) as the......
pebble mosaic
pebble mosaic, type of mosaic work that uses natural pebbles arranged to form decorative or pictorial patterns.......
Pembroke table
Pembroke table, light, drop-leaf table designed for occasional use, probably deriving its name from Henry Herbert,......
pendant
pendant, in jewelry, ornament suspended from a bracelet, earring, or, especially, a necklace. Pendants are derived......
Penrose, Sir Roland
Sir Roland Penrose was a British artist, collector, and writer known best for his curatorial work and promotion......
Peplos
Peplos, garment worn by Greek women during the early Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods (i.e., up to about......
Percier, Charles; and Fontaine, Pierre
Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine were a pair of French architects and interior designers who carried out many......
Perfume
Perfume, fragrant product that results from the artful blending of certain odoriferous substances in appropriate......
pergola
pergola, garden walk or terrace, roofed with an open framework over which plants are trained. Its purpose is to......
peridot
peridot, gem-quality, transparent green olivine in the forsterite–fayalite series (q.v.). Gem-quality olivine has......
peristerite
peristerite, iridescent gemstone in the plagioclase (q.v.) series of feldspar minerals. The name (from Greek peristera,......
Perriand, Charlotte
Charlotte Perriand was a French designer known for iconic 20th-century furniture, such as the LC “Fauteuil Grand......
Perry, Grayson
Grayson Perry is a British potter who embedded in his work images of violence and other disturbing social issues.......
Peruke
Peruke, man’s wig, especially the type popular from the 17th to the early 19th century. It was made of long hair,......
Petasos
Petasos, wide-brimmed hat with a conical crown worn in ancient Greece. The petasos worn by men had a rather low......
Petit point
Petit point, form of canvas embroidery similar to cross-stitch embroidery (q.v.), but even finer because of its......
Petit porcelain
Petit porcelain, French hard-paste porcelain produced by Jacob Petit (b. 1796). Petit worked at the porcelain factory......
Petticoat
Petticoat, in modern usage, an underskirt worn by women. The petycote (probably derived from the Old French petite......
Pew
Pew, originally a raised and enclosed place in a church designed for an ecclesiastical dignitary or officer; the......
phenakite
phenakite, rare mineral, beryllium silicate, Be2SiO4, used as a gemstone. Phenakite has long been known from the......
Photomontage
Photomontage, composite photographic image made either by pasting together individual prints or parts of prints,......
Phrygian cap
Phrygian cap, soft felt or wool conical headdress fitting closely around the head and characterized by a pointed......
Phyfe, Duncan
Duncan Phyfe was a Scottish-born American furniture designer, a leading exponent of the Neoclassical style, sometimes......
Picasso, Pablo
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer. He was one......
Picturesque
Picturesque, artistic concept and style of the late 18th and early 19th centuries characterized by a preoccupation......
pierced work
pierced work, in metalwork, perforations created for decorative or functional effect or both; the French term for......
pietra dura
pietra dura, (Italian: “hard stone”), in mosaic, any of several kinds of hard stone used in commesso mosaic work,......
Pileus
Pileus, close-fitting, brimless hat worn by the ancient Romans and copied from the Greek sailor’s hat called the......
pilgrim bottle
pilgrim bottle, vessel with a body varying from an almost full circle, flattened, to a pear shape with a shortish......
Pillar and scroll shelf clock
Pillar and scroll shelf clock, wooden shelf clock mass-produced in the United States from the second decade of......
pin
pin, the small, pointed and headed piece of stiff wire used to secure clothing or papers. In mechanical and civil......
Pineau, Nicolas
Nicolas Pineau was a French wood-carver and interior designer, a leader in the development of interior decorating......
Pinxton porcelain
Pinxton porcelain, English porcelain produced in Derbyshire from 1796 to 1813. The factory was established by John......
piqué work
piqué work, decorative technique, usually employed on tortoiseshell, in which inlaid designs are created by means......
Pitkin glass
Pitkin glass, a glassware originating from a glasshouse established by the Pitkin family in East Hartford (now......
plain weave
plain weave, simplest and most common of the three basic textile weaves. It is made by passing each filling yarn......
Platform rocker
Platform rocker, rocking chair with rockers fixed to move on a stationary base rather than on the floor. Introduced......
pleached alley
pleached alley, garden path, on each side of which living branches have been intertwined in such a way that a wall......
Plique-à-jour
Plique-à-jour, (French: “open to light”), in the decorative arts, technique producing translucent enamels held......
Plymouth porcelain
Plymouth porcelain, first hard-paste, or true, porcelain made in England, produced at a factory in Plymouth, Devon,......
point Colbert
point Colbert, (French: “Colbert lace”), needle-made lace developed at Bayeux in France in 1855, inspired by 17th-century......
point de France
point de France, (French: “French lace”), the 17th-century school of French lace set up by Louis XIV’s minister......
point de gaze
point de gaze, (French: “gauze lace”), needle lace produced in Brussels, principally from 1851 to around 1900,......
point de Paris
point de Paris, (French: “Paris lace”), product of a lace industry known to have existed around 1634 in the Île......
Poke bonnet
Poke bonnet, hood-shaped hat tied under the chin, with a small crown at the back and a wide projecting front brim......
Polonaise
Polonaise, in clothing, a coatlike dress, originally worn by Polish women, that was extremely popular in the 1770s......
Polonaise carpet
Polonaise carpet, any of various handwoven floor coverings with pile of silk, made in Eṣfahān and other weaving......
pomander
pomander, small metal (sometimes china) container designed to hold a ball of aromatic spices or herbs. Worn suspended......
Pompadour
Pompadour, style of dressing the hair in which the front hair is rolled back and the side hair up to meet it in......
Poncho
Poncho, article of clothing of ancient origin, a cloak made of a square or rectangle of cloth with a hole in the......
Ponti, Gio
Gio Ponti was an Italian architect and designer associated with the development of modern architecture and modern......
poplin
poplin, strong fabric produced by the rib variation of the plain weave and characterized by fine, closely spaced,......
Popova, Lyubov Sergeyevna
Lyubov Sergeyevna Popova was one of the most distinctly individual artists of the Russian avant-garde, who excelled......
porcelain
porcelain, vitrified pottery with a white, fine-grained body that is usually translucent, as distinguished from......
porcelain enamelling
porcelain enamelling, process of fusing a thin layer of glass to a metal object to prevent corrosion and enhance......
Porkpie
Porkpie, round hat with a turned-up brim and a flat crown. The porkpie, so called because of its shape, became......
Portland Vase
Portland Vase, Roman vase (1st century ad) of dark blue glass decorated with white figures, the finest surviving......
Potpourri
Potpourri, in pottery, a decorative ceramic vessel with a perforated cover originally made to hold a moist mixture......
pottery
pottery, one of the oldest and most widespread of the decorative arts, consisting of objects made of clay and hardened......
- Introduction
- Porcelain, Glazing, Firing
- Drying, Turning, Firing
- Glazing, Decoration, Techniques
- Painting, Glazing, Firing
- Ceramics, Glazing, Firing
- Iron Age, Ceramics, Crafts
- Greek, Roman, Ceramics
- Early Islamic, Glazing, Firing
- Persian, Ceramics, Art
- European, Ceramics, Glazing
- Majolica, Glazing, Ceramics
- French, Belgian, Ceramics
- Stoneware, Glazing, Firing
- Dutch, Earthenware, Ceramics
- Slipware, 17th Century, Decoration
- Scandinavian, Clay, Ceramics
- Stoneware, Earthenware, Glazing
- Ceramics, Glazing, Techniques
- East Asian, Southeast Asian, Ceramics
- Chinese, Ceramics, Song Dynasty
- Ming Dynasty, Ceramics, Porcelain
- Qing Dynasty, Ceramics, Porcelain
- European Influence, Export Trade
- Japanese Ceramics, Glazes, Techniques
- Edo, Japan, Ceramics
- Native American, Clay, Art
- Pre-Columbian, Ceramics, Clay
potter’s mark
potter’s mark, device for the purpose of identifying commercial pottery wares. Except for those of Wedgwood, stonewares......
pouncet-box
pouncet-box, small silver box, the sides of which are “pounced,” or pierced, with holes, containing a sponge soaked......
Powers, Harriet
Harriet Powers was a seamstress whose 19th-century quilts gained renewed interest in the 1970s for their spirited......
prayer rug
prayer rug, one of the major types of rug produced in central and western Asia, used by Muslims primarily to cover......
President Vargas diamond
President Vargas diamond, Brazilian stone weighing about 727 carats in rough form. It was discovered in the Santo......
Prie-dieu
Prie-dieu, praying desk for one individual with a knee bench close to the floor and a vertical panel supporting......