Decorative Arts, BRA-CHA
People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when theyâre aesthetically pleasing, too. Thatâs where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
Decorative Arts Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Braque, Georges
Georges Braque was a French painter, one of the important revolutionaries of 20th-century art who, together with......
Breuer, Marcel
Marcel Breuer was an architect and designer, one of the most-influential exponents of the International Style;......
Breuhaus, Fritz A.
Fritz A. Breuhaus was a German architect who specialized in interior design, particularly for transportation. Breuhaus......
Brewster chair
Brewster chair, chair made in New England in the mid-17th century, characterized by rectilinear design and turned......
bright-cut
bright-cut, type of decorative engraving used on metal objects, especially those made of silver. The decorative......
brilliant cut
brilliant cut, method of faceting a diamond to take best advantage of the optical properties of the stone and produce......
Bristol ware
Bristol ware, hard-paste porcelain products that were produced between 1770 and 1781 at the porcelain manufactory......
brocade
brocade, in textiles, woven fabric having a raised floral or figured design that is introduced during the weaving......
broderie
broderie, type of parterre garden evolved in France in the late 16th century by Ătienne DupĂ©rac and characterized......
Broderie anglaise
Broderie anglaise, (French: âEnglish embroideryâ), form of whitework embroidery in which round or oval holes are......
bronze work
bronze work, implements and artwork made of bronze, which is an alloy of copper, tin, and, occasionally, small......
brooch
brooch, ornamental pin, usually with a clasp to attach it to a garment. Brooches developed from the Roman clasp,......
Brown, Ford Madox
Ford Madox Brown was an English painter whose work is associated with that of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, although......
Brussels carpet
Brussels carpet, type of machine-made floor covering with the loops of the pile uncut. All colours run with the......
Brussels lace
Brussels lace, lace named for the city of Brussels. It became distinguished from other bobbin laces made in Flanders......
Brustolon, Andrea
Andrea Brustolon was an Italian wood-carver, known for his furniture in the Venetian Baroque style, characterized......
Brygos Painter
Brygos Painter was a signature appearing on several cups and vases of Greek red-figure pottery executed in the......
Bucchero ware
Bucchero ware, Etruscan earthenware pottery common in pre-Roman Italy chiefly between about the 7th and early 5th......
Buckinghamshire lace
Buckinghamshire lace, bobbin lace made in the English East Midlands from the end of the 16th century. It was referred......
Buckle
Buckle, clasp or catch, particularly for fastening the ends of a belt; or a clasplike ornament, especially for......
Buen Retiro ware
Buen Retiro ware, porcelain manufactured at the royal residence of Buen Retiro, outside Madrid, from 1760 to about......
Bukhara rug
Bukhara rug, name erroneously given to floor coverings made by various Turkmen tribes. The city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan,......
Bulla
Bulla, characteristic Etruscan ornamental pendant. Typically round or oval, bullae resemble a lion or satyr head.......
Burano lace
Burano lace, needle lace made on the island of Burano, a few miles from Venice in the Venetian lagoon. Burano has......
Bureau
Bureau, in the United States, a chest of drawers; in Europe a writing desk, usually with a hinged writing flap......
burka
burka, a loose outer garment worn primarily in public spaces by some Muslim women. It covers the body and face,......
Burne-Jones, Edward
Edward Burne-Jones was one of the leading painters and designers of late 19th-century England, whose romantic paintings......
buskin
buskin, a thick-soled boot worn by actors in ancient Greek tragedies. Because of the association, the term has......
Bustle
Bustle, item of feminine apparel for pushing out the back portion of a skirt. The bustle, or tournure, was notably......
Buta
Buta, (Hindi-Urdu: âflowerâ), one of the most important ornamental motifs of Mughal Indian art, consisting of a......
Butler, Bisa
Bisa Butler is an American fiber artist whose vivid, life-size quilted portraits of Black individuals reimagine......
Button
Button, usually disklike piece of solid material having holes or a shank through which it is sewed to one side......
BĂ©har, Yves
Yves BĂ©har is a Swiss-born industrial designer and founder of the design and branding firm Fuseproject. BĂ©har is......
BÄ«jÄr carpet
BÄ«jÄr carpet, floor covering handwoven by Kurds in the vicinity of the village of BÄ«jÄr in western Iran. The carpets......
Cabinet
Cabinet, in furniture design, originally a small room for displaying precious objects and later a piece of furniture......
cabochon cut
cabochon cut, method of cutting gemstones with a convex, rounded surface that is polished but unfaceted. Opaque,......
Cabriole leg
Cabriole leg, leg of a piece of furniture shaped in two curvesâthe upper one convex, the lower one concave. Its......
Cafaggiolo majolica
Cafaggiolo majolica, Italian tin-glazed earthenware produced during the early 16th century under Medici patronage......
Caffiéri family
Caffiéri family, family of French sculptors and metalworkers known for their vigorous and original works in the......
Caftan
Caftan, manâs full-length garment of ancient Mesopotamian origin, worn throughout the Middle East. It is usually......
Cairene rug
Cairene rug, Egyptian floor covering believed to have been made in or near Cairo from at least as early as the......
calico
calico, all-cotton fabric woven in plain, or tabby, weave and printed with simple designs in one or more colours.......
calligraphy
calligraphy, the art of beautiful handwriting. The term may derive from the Greek words for âbeautyâ (kallos) and......
- Introduction
- Old Hebrew, Scripts, Art
- Arabic, Scripts, Art
- Greek, Handwriting, Scripts
- Byzantine, Illuminated, Manuscripts
- Formal Minuscule, 10th-14th Century
- Latin, Alphabet, Handwriting
- Anglo-Celtic, 5th-13th Century
- Black Letter, Gothic, 9-15th Century
- Writing manuals and copybooks (16th to 18th century)
- Revival, 19th-20th Centuries
cameo
cameo, hard or precious stone carved in relief, or imitations of such stones in glass (called pastes) and mollusk......
cameo glass
cameo glass, glassware decorated with figures and forms of coloured glass carved in relief against a glass background......
Camp
Camp, style and aesthetic sentiment that values the extravagant, the ironic, and the flamboyant and typically bridges......
Campaign furniture
Campaign furniture, in Europe, variety of portable furniture made for travel. Most of the surviving examples date......
Can You Wear White After Labor Day?
.While fashion rules come and go, one endured for decades in the United States: donât wear white after Labor Day.......
cancellaresca corsiva
cancellaresca corsiva, in calligraphy, script that in the 16th century became the vehicle of the New Learning throughout......
Candelabrum
Candelabrum, in architecture, a decorative motif derived from the pedestal or shaft used to support a lamp or candle.......
Candlestand
Candlestand, stand designed to hold a candlestick, often composed of a column rising from tripod legs and supporting......
candlestick
candlestick, a receptacle for holding a candle. Candlesticks may range in size and complexity from the medieval......
Cane furniture
Cane furniture, furniture in which a mesh of split canes is stretched over parts of the framework, principally......
Canton enamel
Canton enamel, Chinese painted enamel, so named for the principal place of its manufacture, Canton. Painted-enamel......
Caoshu
Caoshu, in Chinese calligraphy, a cursive variant of the standard Chinese scripts lishu and kaishu and their semicursive......
Capability Brown at 300
On August 30, 2016, we celebrate the tercentenary of the baptism (his actual birth date is uncertain) of an outstanding......
Cape emerald
Cape emerald, gem-quality prehnite (not emerald). See...
Capodimonte porcelain
Capodimonte porcelain, soft-paste porcelain produced by a factory established in 1743 at the Palazzo of Capodimonte......
carbonado
carbonado, one of the varieties of industrial diamond...
carbuncle
carbuncle, in mineralogy, a deep red, cabochon-cut almandine, which is an iron aluminum garnet. See...
Cardin, Pierre
Pierre Cardin was a French designer of clothes for women and also a pioneer in the design of high fashion for men.......
Carlton House table
Carlton House table, writing table, normally constructed of mahogany or satinwood, characterized by a stepped,......
Carolingian art
Carolingian art, classic style produced during the reign of Charlemagne (768â814) and thereafter until the late......
Carolingian minuscule
Carolingian minuscule, in calligraphy, clear and manageable script that was established by the educational reforms......
Carrack porcelain
Carrack porcelain, Chinese blue-and-white export pieces from the reign of the emperor Wan-li (1573â1620) during......
Carrel
Carrel, cubicle or study for reading and literary work; the word is derived from the Middle English carole, âround......
Carrickmacross lace
Carrickmacross lace, an embroidered lace produced at Carrickmacross and various other centres in Ireland from 1820......
Carson, David
David Carson is an American graphic designer, whose unconventional style revolutionized visual communication in......
Carver chair
Carver chair, American spool chair with a rush seat and turned (shaped on a lathe) legs that rise above the seat......
Caslon, William
William Caslon was an English typefounder who, between 1720 and 1726, designed the typeface that bears his name.......
Cassandre
Cassandre was a graphic artist, stage designer, and painter whose poster designs greatly influenced advertising......
Cassel porcelain
Cassel porcelain, porcelain produced by a factory at Kassel, Hesse, under the patronage of the Landgrave of Hesse.......
Cassone
Cassone, Italian chest, usually used as a marriage chest, and the most elaborately decorated piece of furniture......
Castelli, Leo
Leo Castelli was an art dealer of Hungarian and Italian descent whose promotion of American painters helped contemporary......
Cathedra
Cathedra, (Latin: âchair,â or âseatâ), Roman chair of heavy structure derived from the klismosâa lighter, more......
catâs-eye
catâs-eye, any of several gemstones that, when cut en cabochon (in convex form, highly polished), display a luminous......
caudle cup
caudle cup, small, two-handled silver cup, usually with a cover, originally made in England during the second half......
Caughley ware
Caughley ware, porcelain produced by the Caughley China Works, a factory in Caughley, Shropshire, England. A local......
cauliflower ware
cauliflower ware, in pottery, creamware modelled and glazed in green and yellow to simulate a cauliflower, the......
Cavalcanti, Alberto
Alberto Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born director-producer, screenwriter, and art director of motion pictures in......
Cavaliere DâArpino
Cavaliere DâArpino was an Italian painter of the post-Renaissance school known as Mannerism who helped to spread......
Celadon
Celadon, greenish ceramic glaze that is used on stoneware. Celadon is used both for the glaze itself and for the......
Cellarette
Cellarette, small movable cabinet designed to hold bottles of wine or liquor, primarily used from the 18th to the......
Cellini, Benvenuto
Benvenuto Cellini was a Florentine sculptor, goldsmith, and writer. He was one of the most important Mannerist......
Cerceau, Du, family
Du, family Cerceau, renowned French family of architects and decorators who constituted a virtual dynasty in architecture......
Cessna, Clyde Vernon
Clyde Vernon Cessna was an American aviator and aircraft manufacturer who invented the cantilever wing and a V-shaped......
Cha-shitsu
Cha-shitsu, small Japanese garden pavilion or room within a house, specifically designed for the tea ceremony.......
Chagall, Marc
Marc Chagall was a Belorussian-born French painter, printmaker, and designer who composed his images based on emotional......
Chair
Chair, seat with a back, intended for one person. It is one of the most ancient forms of furniture, dating from......
Chaise longue
Chaise longue, a long seat for reclining on. Developed in the 18th century, it closely resembled the daybed of......
chalcedony
chalcedony, a very fine-grained (cryptocrystalline) variety of the silica mineral quartz (q.v.). A form of chert,......
chalice
chalice, a cup used in the celebration of the Christian Eucharist. Both the statement of St. Paul about âthe cup......
Champlevé
Champlevé, in the decorative arts, an enameling technique or an object made by the champlevé process, which consists......
Chandelier
Chandelier, a branched candleholderâor, in modern times, electric-light holderâsuspended from the ceiling. Hanging......
Chantilly lace
Chantilly lace, bobbin lace made at Chantilly, north of Paris, from the 17th century; the silk laces for which......
Chantilly porcelain
Chantilly porcelain, celebrated soft-paste porcelain produced from 1725 to c. 1789 by a factory established in......
Charnay Fibula
Charnay Fibula, curved silver ornament, dating from the mid-6th century, that bears a runic inscription. The Fibula,......
chasing
chasing, metalwork technique used to define or refine the forms of a surface design and to bring them to the height......
Chatelaine
Chatelaine, ornament, used by both men and women and usually fastened to belt or pocket, with chains bearing hooks......
Chaudor carpet
Chaudor carpet, floor covering handmade by the Chaudor (Chodor) Turkmen. Usually, they are made either in carpet......