Decorative Arts, CHE-CRO
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
Chelsea porcelain
Chelsea porcelain, soft-paste porcelain made at a factory in Chelsea, London, established in 1743 by Charles Gouyn......
Chest
Chest, the earliest form of container for storing clothes, documents, valuables, or other possessions, and the......
Chest of drawers
Chest of drawers, type of furniture developed in the mid-17th century from a chest with drawers in the base. By......
Cheval glass
Cheval glass, tall dressing mirror, suspended between two pillars, usually joined by horizontal bars immediately......
Chevron
Chevron, decorative motif consisting of two slanting lines forming an inverted V. From very early times, it has......
Chichi rug
Chichi rug, small, handmade floor covering woven in a cluster of villages in the vicinity of the Azerbaijanian......
chiffon
chiffon, in textiles, lightweight, sheer fabric of plain weave, usually of silk or one of the synthetic fibres.......
Chihuly, Dale
Dale Chihuly is an American artist whose glass sculpturesâoften presented in complex and dynamic public projectsâled......
Chikan work
Chikan work, delicate, fine Indian embroidery done in white cotton threads on plain muslin. The ancient history......
Chilkat weaving
Chilkat weaving, narrowly, the robes, or blankets, woven by the Chilkat, northernmost of the Pacific Coast Indians......
china
china, any of various fine ornamental and useful ceramic wares, usually made of porcelain. See porcelain; bone......
Chinese art
Chinese art, the painting, calligraphy, architecture, pottery, sculpture, bronzes, jade carving, and other fine......
Chinese bronzes
Chinese bronzes, any of a number of bronze objects that were cast in China beginning before 1500 bce. Bronzes have......
Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy, the stylized artistic writing of Chinese characters, the written form of Chinese that unites......
Chinese jade
Chinese jade, any of the carved-jade objects produced in China from the Neolithic Period (c. 3000â2000 bce) onward.......
Chinese lacquerwork
Chinese lacquerwork, decorative work produced in China by the application of many coats of lacquer to a core material......
Chinese pottery
Chinese pottery, objects made of clay and hardened by heat: earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, particularly......
chinkin-bori
chinkin-bori, (Japanese: âgold-inlay carvingâ), in Japanese lacquerwork, technique for decorating lacquer ware......
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, 17th- and 18th-century Western style of interior design, furniture, pottery, textiles, and garden......
chintz
chintz, plainwoven, printed or solid-colour, glazed cotton fabric, frequently a highly glazed printed calico. Originally......
Chippendale
Chippendale, various styles of furniture fashionable in the third quarter of the 18th century and named after the......
Chippendale, Thomas
Thomas Chippendale was one of the leading cabinetmakers of 18th-century England and one of the most perplexing......
Chippendale, Thomas, II
Thomas Chippendale, II was the son of the cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, who succeeded his father as head of......
Chiton
Chiton, garment worn by Greek men and women from the Archaic period (c. 750âc. 500 bc) through the Hellenistic......
choker
choker, in jewelry, necklace that fits closely around the neck like a snug, high collar. The choker became popular......
ChosĆn style
ChosĆn style, Korean visual arts style characteristic of the ChosĆn dynasty (1392â1910). ChosĆn craftsmen and artisans,......
Christmas tree
Christmas tree, an evergreen tree, often a pine, spruce, or fir, decorated with lights and ornaments as a part......
chrysoberyl
chrysoberyl, gemstone, beryllium and aluminum oxide (BeAl2O4). A variety that is often cloudy, opalescent, and......
chrysography
chrysography, in calligraphy, the art of writing in letters of gold or a piece of calligraphic work so set off.......
Cicatrization
Cicatrization, type of body decoration involving the production of raised scars (keloids), usually in decorative......
cicim
cicim, a ruglike spread or hanging handmade in Anatolia, composed of variously coloured strips woven in ordinary......
Cistercian ware
Cistercian ware, lead-glazed English earthenware of the 16th century. Fragments of dark-red, hard earthenware with......
citrine
citrine, transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz (q.v.). Citrine is a semiprecious gem......
Cizhou kiln
Cizhou kiln, kiln known for stoneware produced in Handan (formerly Cizhou), Hebei province, in northern China,......
Claddagh ring
Claddagh ring, in jewelry, a traditional Irish ring featuring a heart, a crown, and two hands symbolizing love,......
Cloisonné
Cloisonné, in the decorative arts, an enameling technique or any product of that technique, which consists of soldering......
Clovio, Giulio
Giulio Clovio was an Italian miniature painter and priest. Clovio is said to have studied at Rome under Giulio......
Cluny guipure
Cluny guipure, French bobbin lace first made in the mid-19th century. It is called Cluny because it was inspired......
Coalport porcelain
Coalport porcelain, ware from the porcelain factory in Shropshire, England, founded by John Rose in 1795. âCoalbrookdale......
Cobb, John
John Cobb was an English cabinetmaker whose work was once overshadowed by that of Thomas Chippendale but who is......
Cobden-Sanderson, Thomas James
Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson was an English book designer and binder who contributed much to the success of the......
Cockade
Cockade, a bow or knot of ribbons worn in the hat. Though originally ornamental, cockades soon came to be used......
Cockfighting chair
Cockfighting chair, chair with broad armrests that form a yoke with the back rail, to which a reading desk is attached.......
Codex Gigas
Codex Gigas, medieval illuminated manuscript known for its full-page illustration of the Devil opposite a full-page......
Codpiece
Codpiece, pouchlike addition to menâs long hose, located at the crotch, popular in Europe in the 15th and 16th......
Coffer
Coffer, in furniture, most commonly a portable container for valuables, clothes, and other goods, used from the......
Coif
Coif, close-fitting cap of white linen that covered the ears and was tied with strings under the chin, like a babyâs......
coin glass
coin glass, glassware usually in the form of wineglasses, goblets, or tankards enclosing a coin either in the foot,......
Cold Stones: 9 Gems That Will Make You Feel Like a Peasant
You might want to stash the rhinestones. The jewels on this list are going to give the rocks that youâve got some......
Colines, Simon de
Simon de Colines was a French printer who pioneered the use of italic types in France. He worked as a partner of......
Collage
Collage, (French: âpastingâ), artistic technique of applying manufactured, printed, or âfoundâ materials, such......
Cologne
Cologne, in perfumery, scented solution usually consisting of alcohol and about 2â6 percent perfume concentrate.......
Comb
Comb, a toothed implement used for cleaning and arranging the hair and also for holding it in place after it has......
Comb pottery
Comb pottery, main pottery type of the Korean Neolithic Period (c. 3000â700 bce). Derived from a Siberian Neolithic......
commesso
commesso, technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly coloured semiprecious stones,......
Commode
Commode, type of furniture resembling the English chest of drawers, in use in France in the late 17th century.......
Commode
Commode, in dress, wire framework that was worn (c. 1690â1710 in France and England) on the head to hold in position......
Commons
Commons, in Anglo-American property law, an area of land for use by the public. The term originated in feudal England,......
Confidante
Confidante, type of sofa that has a seat at each end separated from the main seat by an upholstered arm. This form......
Cong
Cong, Chinese jade form begun in the late Neolithic Period, it diminished after the Shang (18thâ12th century bc)......
Conran, Terence
Terence Conran was an English designer, restaurateur, and businessman credited with making stylish housewares and......
Console
Console, in furniture, a type of side table placed against a wall and normally fixed to it, requiring legs or other......
Cookworthy, William
William Cookworthy was a china manufacturer who first produced an English true hard-paste porcelain similar to......
Cooper Hewitt
Cooper Hewitt, museum in New York, New York, noted for its holdings centred on historical and contemporary design.......
Coper, Hans
Hans Coper was a German-born British potter who was a dominant figure in European pottery and who perpetuated a......
copper work
copper work, tools, implements, weapons, and artwork made of copper. Copperâs discovery precedes recorded history,......
copperplate script
copperplate script, in calligraphy, dominant style among 18th-century writing masters, whose copybooks were splendidly......
corduroy
corduroy, strong durable fabric with a rounded cord, rib, or wale surface formed by cut pile yarn. The back of......
Corner furniture
Corner furniture, movable articles, principally cupboards, cabinets, shelves, and chairs, designed to fit into......
cornucopia
cornucopia, decorative motif, dating from ancient Greece, that symbolizes abundance. The motif originated as a......
Coromandel screen
Coromandel screen, ebony folding screen with panels of incised black lacquer, often painted gold or other colours......
Coronation Carpet
Coronation Carpet, 17th-century Persian court-loomed floor covering, 12 feet 2 inches Ă 17 feet 1 inch (371 Ă 521......
Coronet
Coronet, in Great Britain, ceremonial headdress of a peer or peeress, still worn with robes at a coronation and......
Corsage
Corsage, a small bouquet of flowers originally worn by women at the waist or bodice and later worn on the shoulder......
Corset
Corset, article of clothing worn to shape or constrict the waist and support the bosom, whether as a foundation......
Cosmati work
Cosmati work, type of mosaic technique that was practiced by Roman decorators and architects in the 12th and 13th......
Cosmetic
Cosmetic, any of several preparations (excluding soap) that are applied to the human body for beautifying, preserving,......
costume, ballet
ballet costume, clothing designed to allow dancers freedom of movement while at the same time enhancing the visual......
Cottage furniture
Cottage furniture, mass-produced type of furniture popular in the United States in the mid-19th century. In The......
Cotte, Robert de
Robert de Cotte was an influential French architect who created mansions now regarded as the epitome of early Rococo......
Couch
Couch, in modern usage a sofa or settee, but in the 17th and 18th centuries a long, upholstered seat for reclining,......
Country furniture
Country furniture, furniture made by country craftsmen, varying from purely functional pieces made by amateurs......
Court cupboard
Court cupboard, sideboard with three tiers, used mainly for displaying plate and therefore a focal point of the......
Cousin, Jean, the Elder
Jean Cousin the Elder was a French painter and engraver whose rich artistic contribution also included tapestry,......
Coving
Coving, in architecture, concave molding or arched section of wall surface. An example is the curved soffit connecting......
Cozzi porcelain
Cozzi porcelain, soft-paste porcelain made in Venice by Geminiano Cozzi from about 1764 to 1812. Cozzi products,......
Cradle
Cradle, in furniture, infantâs bed of wood, wicker, or iron, having enclosed sides and suspended from a bar, slung......
craft lace
craft lace, group of laces made by knitting, crochet, tatting, and macramé, as well as tape laces using straight......
Crakow
Crakow, long, pointed, spiked shoe worn by both men and women first in the mid-14th century and then condemned......
Crane, Walter
Walter Crane was an English illustrator, painter, and designer primarily known for his imaginative illustrations......
Cravat
Cravat, the name given to the neck scarf worn by Croatian soldiers in the service of the French army during the......
creamware
creamware, cream-coloured English earthenware of the second half of the 18th century and its European imitations.......
crepe de Chine
crepe de Chine, (French: âcrepe of Chinaâ), light and fine plainwoven dress fabric produced either with all-silk......
crescent
crescent, political, military, and religious emblem of the Byzantine and Turkish empires and, later and more generally,......
Cressent, Charles
Charles Cressent was a French cabinetmaker, whose works are among the most renowned pieces of French furniture......
cretonne
cretonne, any printed fabric, usually cotton, of the weight used chiefly for furniture upholstery, hangings, window......
Crewel work
Crewel work, type of free-style embroidery distinguished not by the stitches employed but by the two-ply worsted......
Crinoline
Crinoline, originally, a petticoat made of horsehair fabric, a popular fashion in the late 1840s that took its......
crochet
crochet, craft that developed in the 19th century out of a form of chain-stitch embroidery done with a hook instead......
Cromwellian chair
Cromwellian chair, sturdy, squarish chair with a leather back and seat, studded with brass-headed nails, made in......