Decorative Arts, STE-TOR
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
Steuben Glass Company
Steuben Glass Company, glassworks founded in 1903 by T.G. Hawkes and Frederick Carder at Corning, New York. It......
Stevens, Alfred
Alfred Stevens was an English designer, painter, and sculptor notable for the Michelangelesque vigour of his work,......
Stickley, Gustav
Gustav Stickley was an American furniture designer and maker who largely created what came to be known as the Mission......
Stiegel, Henry William
Henry William Stiegel was an ironmaster, glassmaker, and town builder whose spectacular rise and fall in early......
Stockelsdorf faience
Stockelsdorf faience, tin-glazed earthenware made at Stockelsdorf near Lübeck, Germany. In what was probably an......
Stomacher
Stomacher, ornamental garment worn at the front of the upper body by men and women from the end of the 15th until......
stoneware
stoneware, pottery that has been fired at a high temperature (about 1,200° C [2,200° F]) until vitrified (that......
Stool
Stool, armless and backless seat for one person. Folding stools with skin or fabric seats and solid framed stools......
Storr, Paul
Paul Storr was a goldsmith particularly noted for his outstanding craftsmanship in the execution of richly ornamented......
Strasbourg ware
Strasbourg ware, pottery made mostly in Strasbourg, Fr., under the direction of members of the Hannong family from......
streamlining
streamlining, in aerodynamics, the contouring of an object, such as an aircraft body, to reduce its drag, or resistance......
Strålsund faience
Strålsund faience, tin-glazed earthenware made at Strålsund, Swed. (now Stralsund, Ger.), from around 1755 to 1792.......
Stuart style
Stuart style, visual arts produced during the reign of the British house of Stuart; that is, from 1603 to 1714......
Suit
Suit, in dress design, matching set of clothes consisting, for example, of a coat, vest, and trousers. The shift......
Sukhoi
Sukhoi, Russian aerospace design bureau that is the country’s second most important producer of military aircraft......
Sultanabad ware
Sultanabad ware, Islāmic ceramics produced at Sultanabad (modern Solṭānābād, Iran) that reached its peak as a style......
Sulṭān Muḥammad
Sulṭān Muḥammad was one of the greatest of Persian painters and the most notable artist of the Safavid school at......
sundial
sundial, the earliest type of timekeeping device, which indicates the time of day by the position of the shadow......
sunstone
sunstone, a gemstone variety of feldspar that has minute platelike inclusions of iron oxide (hematite or goethite)......
Supermodel
Supermodel, a very famous and successful fashion model. Often recognized by their first name only, supermodels......
Surcoat
Surcoat, sleeved or sleeveless outer garment worn by European men and women during the 13th and 14th centuries.......
Sutherland, Graham
Graham Sutherland was an English painter who was best known for his Surrealistic landscapes. Sutherland was educated......
Suzhou embroidery
Suzhou embroidery, silk, satin, and other textiles decorated using soft, coloured silk threads and produced at......
Sweater
Sweater, outer garment, usually knitted or crocheted, that is worn on the upper part of the body, either pulled......
Sweetgrass basket
Sweetgrass basket, type of basket made of sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes), so called because it smells like freshly......
Swimsuit
Swimsuit, garment designed for wearing while swimming. In Europe, North America, and Australia, sea bathing became......
synthetic diamond
synthetic diamond, man-made diamond that is usually produced by subjecting graphite to very high temperatures and......
Sèvres porcelain
Sèvres porcelain, French hard-paste, or true, porcelain as well as soft-paste porcelain (a porcellaneous material......
Sōgetsu
Sōgetsu, 20th-century Japanese school of floral art that introduced the zen’ei (“avant-garde”) ikebana style in......
Table
Table, basic article of furniture, known and used in the Western world since at least the 7th century bce, consisting......
Taboret
Taboret, type of armless and backless seat or stool. Early taborets were probably named for their cylindrical shape,......
Tabrīz carpet
Tabrīz carpet, floor covering handmade in or around Tabrīz, the principal city of northwestern Iran and one of......
Taeuber-Arp, Sophie
Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss French Dada artist, textile designer, and modern dancer whose multimedia works bridged......
taffeta
taffeta, fine, crisp plain-woven fabric with a faint weft, or filling-way, rib due to the greater number of warp......
Taj
Taj, brimless hat, usually conical or curved on top, worn by men and women in Muslim countries. The taj (from the......
tambour
tambour, embroidery worked on material that has been stretched taut on a tambour frame, which consists of two wooden......
Taotie
Taotie, monster mask commonly found on ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessels and implements. The taotie characteristically......
tape lace
tape lace, lace in which the pattern is made up of tape set in a background either of thread bars (brides) or net.......
tapestry
tapestry, woven decorative fabric, the design of which is built up in the course of weaving. Broadly, the name......
Tara brooch
Tara brooch, fine example of a Celtic ring brooch, found on the seashore at Bettystown, south of Drogheda, and......
Tarboosh
Tarboosh, close-fitting, flat-topped, brimless hat shaped like a truncated cone. It is made of felt or cloth with......
tartan
tartan, cross-checkered repeating pattern (or “sett”) of different coloured bands, stripes, or lines of definite......
Tassie, James
James Tassie was a Scottish gem engraver and modeler known for reproductions of engraved gems and for portrait......
Tatami
Tatami, rectangular mat used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. It consists of a thick straw base and a soft,......
tatting
tatting, process by which a fabric akin to lace is made of thread with a small hand shuttle and the fingers. It......
Tattoo
Tattoo, permanent mark or design made on the body by the introduction of pigment through ruptures in the skin.......
Tawney, Lenore
Lenore Tawney was an American artist whose compositions helped transform weaving from an underappreciated craft......
Taymor, Julie
Julie Taymor is an American stage and film director, playwright, and costume designer known for her inventive use......
Taʿlīq script
Taʿlīq script, in Arabic calligraphy, cursive style of lettering developed in Iran in the 10th century. It is thought......
Tekke carpet
Tekke carpet, floor covering woven by the Tekke Turkmen, the major population group of Turkmenistan. Although elements......
Terra sigillata ware
Terra sigillata ware, bright-red, polished pottery used throughout the Roman Empire from the 1st century bc to......
Terra-cotta
Terra-cotta, literally, any kind of fired clay but, in general usage, a kind of object—e.g., vessel, figure, or......
tessellated pavement
tessellated pavement, interior or exterior floor covering composed of stone tesserae (Latin: “dice”), cubes, or......
tessera
tessera, in mosaic work, a small piece of stone, glass, ceramic, or other hard material cut in a cubical or some......
testeggiata
testeggiata, in calligraphy, the headed ascenders or plumelike terminals to b, d, h, and l, in particular, which......
The Evergreen Benefits of Rooftop Gardening
Also known as a “green roof” or “landscaped rooftop,” a rooftop garden is a cultivated garden on top of a building.......
The Mechanical Turk: AI Marvel or Parlor Trick?
In 1769 a Hungarian civil servant named Wolfgang von Kempelen went to a magic show in Vienna. It wasn’t just any......
Theophilus
Theophilus was a German monk who wrote De diversis artibus (c. 1110–40; also called Schedula diversarum artium),......
Thomas, Mickalene
Mickalene Thomas is an American mixed-media artist best known for portraits of Black women that are often made......
Thonet, Michael
Michael Thonet was a German-Austrian pioneer in the industrialization of furniture manufacture. His experiments......
Thorn-Prikker, Jan
Jan Thorn-Prikker was a Dutch painter, designer, and decorator in the Art Nouveau style. He was an important figure......
Throne
Throne, chair of state often set on a dais and surmounted by a canopy, representing the power of the dignitary......
Thuluth script
Thuluth script, in calligraphy, medieval Islamic style of handwritten alphabet. Thuluth (Arabic: “one-third”) is......
Tibetan carpet
Tibetan carpet, floor covering handwoven in Tibet and, more recently, by Tibetan refugees elsewhere. Before 1959,......
Tie rubbing
Tie rubbing, imprint taken from calligraphy engraved on stone or wood. The practice emerged in the Tang dynasty......
tie-dyeing
tie-dyeing, method of dyeing by hand in which coloured patterns are produced in the fabric by gathering together......
Tiffany, Louis Comfort
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American painter, craftsman, philanthropist, decorator, and designer, internationally......
tigereye
tigereye, semiprecious quartz gem displaying chatoyancy, a vertical luminescent band like that of a cat’s eye.......
tigerware
tigerware, 16th- and 17th-century German stoneware having a brown, mottled glaze, and made in the Rhenish centres......
Tilt-top table
Tilt-top table, table, the top of which is hinged to a central pedestal in such a way that it can be turned from......
tin-glazed earthenware
tin-glazed earthenware, earthenware covered with an opaque glaze that, unless colour has been added, is white.......
tinplate
tinplate, thin steel sheet with a coating of tin applied either by dipping in molten metal or by electrolytic deposition;......
tinware
tinware, utilitarian and decorative objects made of tinplate and, more rarely, of pure tin. Tin was used as an......
Tippet
Tippet, long, narrow, cloth streamer, usually white, worn around the arm above the elbow, with the long end hanging......
Tissot, James
James Tissot was a French painter, engraver, and enameler noted for his portraits of late Victorian society. After......
toastmaster’s glass
toastmaster’s glass, English glass about the size of an ordinary drinking glass but with only about one-quarter......
Today in History—December 29: The “Wanderer in Man’s Apparel”
On December 29, 1852, 17-year-old Emma Snodgrass was arraigned in Boston for the heinous crime of—wait for it—wearing......
Today in History—February 10: The Bride Wore White (for the First Time)
On this day in 1840, Queen Victoria got married…to her cousin, Albert. He was the second son of a foreign duke—and......
Today in History—January 15: Dashing the Myth of the Haberdashery Riot
The story goes that on this day in 1797, an alarming sight caused a ruckus on the streets of London: a man wore......
Today in History—January 26: World’s Largest Diamond Found…and Thrown Out
On this day in 1905, the world’s largest diamond was unearthed at the Premier Mine in South Africa. Then it was......
Today in History—July 30: The Day We Officially Put Our Trust in God
On this day in 1956, Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation making “In God We Trust” the official motto......
Today in History—July 5: The Atomic Origins of the Bikini
Would you wear a fashion item named after a nuclear test site? Maybe you already have. On this day in 1946, a French......
Today in History—June 25: A Symbol of Pride Is Born
In 1978 preparations for the 7th annual Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco were charged with a special sense......
Today in History—May 20: How Jeans Turned the Whole World Blue
On this day in 1873, two men were granted a patent for trousers reinforced with rivets—the origin of what we now......
Today in History—September 13: The Start of the Straw Hat Riots
“The average man’s devotion to his HAT is one of life’s greatest mysteries.” That’s a line from a September 5,......
Toft, Thomas
Thomas Toft was one of the most prominent of the English potters working in Staffordshire during the 17th century.......
Toga
Toga, characteristic loose, draped outer garment of Roman citizens. Adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans, it......
togidashi maki-e
togidashi maki-e, in Japanese lacquerwork, kind of maki-e (q.v.). In this technique, the design is painted in lacquer,......
toile de Jouy
toile de Jouy, cotton or linen printed with designs of landscapes and figures for which the 18th-century factory......
toile peinte
toile peinte, large sheet of heavy, flexible fabric on which a tapestry cartoon (a full-sized preliminary study......
toleware
toleware, any object of japanned (varnished) tinplate and pewter. The term is derived from the French name for......
Tondern lace
Tondern lace, lace made at Tønder (German: Tondern), Den., in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bobbin-made......
topaz
topaz, silicate mineral that is valued as a gemstone. It is believed that the topaz of modern mineralogists was......
topiary
topiary, the training of living trees and shrubs into artificial, decorative shapes. Thickly leaved evergreen shrubs......
Toque
Toque, small, round, close-fitting hat, brimless or with a small brim, once worn by both men and women. In the......
Torchon lace
Torchon lace, coarse bobbin-made lace (see bobbin lace) made by peasants in most European countries in which simple......
torque
torque, in jewelry, a metal collar, neck ring, or armband consisting of a bar or ribbon of twisted metal curved......
tortoiseshell
tortoiseshell, ornamental material obtained from the curved horny shields forming the shell of the hawksbill turtle......
tortoiseshell ware
tortoiseshell ware, earthenware with variegated, surface colour made in Staffordshire, England, in the 18th century.......
Tory, Geoffroy
Geoffroy Tory was a publisher, printer, author, orthographic reformer, and prolific engraver who was mainly responsible......