Decorative Arts, EGG-GEI
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
Egg and dart
Egg and dart, in architecture, design shape used in moldings. It consists of a series of bas-relief ovals alternating......
Eggshell porcelain
Eggshell porcelain, Chinese porcelain characterized by an excessively thin body under the glaze. It often had decoration......
Ekster, Aleksandra Aleksandrovna
Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Ekster was a Russian artist of international stature who divided her life between Kiev,......
emblema
emblema, central panel with figure representationsâpeople, animals, and other objectsâor occasionally another featured......
Embroidery
Embroidery, art of decorating material, primarily textile fabric, by means of a needle and thread (and sometimes......
emerald
emerald, grass-green variety of beryl (q.v.) that is highly valued as a gemstone. The name comes indirectly from......
emollient
emollient, any substance that softens the skin by reducing water loss. Emollients contain ingredients that either......
En résille
En résille, in the decorative arts, technique of enamelwork in which the design is incised on rock crystal or glass......
Enamel miniature
Enamel miniature, portrait on a small opaque, usually white, enamel surface annealed to gold or copper plate and......
Enamelwork
Enamelwork, technique of decoration whereby metal objects or surfaces are given a vitreous glaze that is fused......
Enghalskrug
Enghalskrug, German faience ewer with an ovoid body and a long narrow neck, which has a hinged pewter lid, a slight......
English garden
English garden, type of garden that developed in 18th-century England, originating as a revolt against the architectural......
engraved glass
engraved glass, glassware decorated with finely carved, three-dimensional patterns or pictures. The most common......
ensi rug
ensi rug, floor covering, usually about 1.4 Ă 1.5 metres (4.5 feet Ă 5 feet), of a type apparently woven by all......
ensign
ensign, a flag, especially the national flag. The term is most often applied to the flag flown at the stern by......
epergne
epergne, dining table centrepieceâusually of silverâthat generally sits on four feet supporting a central bowl......
Epictetus
Epictetus was a Greek potter and painter who worked in Athens. His work is praised for its care, grace, vitality,......
Ernst, Max
Max Ernst was a German painter and sculptor who was one of the leading advocates of irrationality in art and an......
Ersari carpet
Ersari carpet, any of a colourful variety of floor coverings handmade by Ersari Turkmen of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.......
Erté
Erté was a fashion illustrator of the 1920s and creator of visual spectacle for French music-hall revues. His designs......
Escutcheon
Escutcheon, in furniture design, an armorial shield sometimes applied to the centre of pediments on pieces of fine......
etched glass
etched glass, type of glassware whose decorative design has been cut into the surface by the corrosive action of......
EulenkrĂŒg
EulenkrĂŒg, south German mid-16th-century owl jugs. Few examples of this early faience are known, and they range......
Euphronios
Euphronios was one of the most celebrated Greek painters and potters of his time. He experimented with new ideas,......
Excelsior diamond
Excelsior diamond, until the discovery of the Cullinan diamond in 1905, the worldâs largest-known uncut diamond.......
Exekias
Exekias was a Greek potter and painter who, with the Amasis Painter, is considered the finest and most original......
EáčŁfahÄn carpet
EáčŁfahÄn carpet, floor covering handwoven in EáčŁfahÄn (Isfahan), a city of central Iran that became the capital under......
Fabergé egg
FabergĂ© egg, any of a series of decorative eggs containing objets dâart that were made by Peter Carl FabergĂ©âs......
Fabergé, Peter Carl
Peter Carl Fabergé was one of the greatest goldsmiths, jewelers, and designers in Western decorative arts and jeweler......
facet
facet, flat, polished surface on a cut gemstone, usually with three or four sides. The widest part of a faceted......
Factor, Max
Max Factor was the dean of Hollywood makeup experts. He was a pioneer in developing makeup specifically for motion-picture......
Faenza majolica
Faenza majolica, tin-glazed earthenware produced in the city of Faenza in the Emilia district of Italy from the......
faience
faience, tin-glazed earthenware made in France, Germany, Spain, and Scandinavia. It is distinguished from tin-glazed......
faience blanche
faience blanche, (French: âwhite faienceâ), type of French pottery of the late 16th and early 17th centuries; it......
faience fine
faience fine, fine white English lead-glazed earthenware, or creamware, imported into France from about 1730 onward.......
faience parlante
faience parlante, (French: âtalking faienceâ), in French pottery, popular utilitarian 18th-century earthenware,......
faience patriotique
faience patriotique, French 18th-century earthenware, chiefly plates and jugs, decorated with themes drawn from......
Faldstool
Faldstool, a folding stool used by a Roman Catholic bishop when not occupying his throne in his own cathedral church,......
Famille rose
Famille rose, group of Chinese porcelain wares characterized by decoration painted in opaque overglaze rose colours,......
Famille verte
Famille verte, group of Chinese porcelain wares characterized by decoration painted in a colour range that includes......
Famous Mustaches in History
Since antiquity, the wearing of mustaches, like the wearing of beards, has reflected a wide range of customs, religious......
Fan
Fan, in the decorative arts, a rigid or folding handheld device used throughout the world since ancient times for......
Fangyi
Fangyi, type of Chinese bronze vessel in the form of a small hut or granary. Square or rectangular in section,......
Farthingale
Farthingale, underskirt expanded by a series of circular hoops that increase in diameter from the waist down to......
Farthingale chair
Farthingale chair, armless chair with a wide seat covered in high-quality fabric and fitted with a cushion; the......
fasces
fasces, insignia of official authority in ancient Rome. The name derives from the plural form of the Latin fascis......
Fascia
Fascia, In architecture, a continuous flat band or molding parallel to the surface that it ornaments and either......
Fashion week
Fashion week, series of scheduled runway shows and presentations during which designers introduce upcoming collections......
Fast fashion
Fast fashion, a business model that focuses on the rapid design, production, and promotion of low-cost clothing......
façon de Venise
façon de Venise, (French: âVenetian fashionâ), style of glass made in the 16th and 17th centuries at places other......
featherwork
featherwork, decorative use of ornamental feathers, especially the feather mosaic needlework of Victorian England.......
Ferahan carpet
Ferahan carpet, handwoven floor covering from the FarÄhÄn district, northeast of ArÄk in western Iran, produced......
Fibula
Fibula, brooch, or pin, originally used in Greek and Roman dress for fastening garments. The fibula developed in......
Fieseler, Gerhard
Gerhard Fieseler was a pioneering German aviator, aerobatic flyer, and aircraft designer. At the outbreak of World......
filet lace
filet lace, (from French filet, ânetworkâ), knotted netting, either square or diamond mesh, that has been stretched......
filigree
filigree, delicate, lacelike ornamental openwork composed of intertwined wire threads of gold or silver, widely......
Fillet
Fillet, (from Latin filum, âthreadâ), in architecture, the characteristically rectangular or square ribbonlike......
filling
filling, in woven fabrics, the widthwise, or horizontal, yarns carried over and under the warp, or lengthwise,......
Finiguerra, Maso
Maso Finiguerra was a Renaissance goldsmith, engraver, draftsman, and designer, known for his work in niello, a......
fire
fire, in gems, rapidly changing flashes of colour seen in some gems, such as diamonds. Some minerals show dispersion;......
Fishermanâs Ring
Fishermanâs Ring, the signet ring that is presented to the popeâthe leader of the Roman Catholic Churchâat his......
flag
flag, a piece of cloth, bunting, or similar material displaying the insignia of a sovereign state, a community,......
Flag (1954â55)
Flag (1954â55), encaustic, oil, and collage painting on wood panel that was created in 1954â55 by American artist......
Flags That Look Alike
A national flag is one of the most instantly recognizable symbols of a countryâs identity. Usually people can tell......
flannel
flannel, fabric made in plain or twill weave, usually with carded yarns. It is napped, most often on both sides,......
Flaxman, John
John Flaxman was an English sculptor, illustrator, and designer, a leading artist of the Neoclassical style in......
fleur-de-lis
fleur-de-lis, stylized emblem or device much used in ornamentation and, particularly, in heraldry, long associated......
floor covering
floor covering, material made from textiles, felts, resins, rubber, or other natural or man-made substances applied......
Floral decoration
Floral decoration, art of arranging living or dried plant material for adornment of the body or home or as a part......
Florentine diamond
Florentine diamond, clear, pale-yellow stone weighing 137 carats; of Indian origin, it was cut as a double rose......
flying shuttle
flying shuttle, Machine that represented an important step toward automatic weaving. It was invented by John Kay......
folly
folly, (from French folie, âfoolishnessâ), also called Eyecatcher, in architecture, a costly, generally nonfunctional......
footbinding
footbinding, cultural practice, existing in China from the 10th century until the establishment of the Peoples......
fountain
fountain, in landscape architecture, an issue of water controlled or contained primarily for purposes of decoration,......
Fouquet, Jean
Jean Fouquet was a preeminent French painter of the 15th century. Little is known of Fouquetâs early life, but......
Fournier, Pierre-Simon
Pierre-Simon Fournier was a French engraver and typefounder particularly noted for decorative typographic ornaments......
Frame design
Frame design, decorative treatment of frames for mirrors and pictures. Before the 15th century in Europe, frames......
Fret
Fret, in decorative art and architecture, any one of several types of running or repeated ornament, consisting......
Frisian carving
Frisian carving, in decorative arts, lightly carved ornamentation on furniture made by the Pennsylvania Germans,......
Fu
Fu, type of Chinese bronze vessel used as a food container, it was produced largely from the middle Zhou period......
fundamiji
fundamiji, in Japanese lacquerwork, variation of the jimaki technique. In this kind of ground decoration, a thick......
Furniture
Furniture, household equipment, usually made of wood, metal, plastics, marble, glass, fabrics, or related materials......
- Introduction
- Craftsmanship, Design, Materials
- Upholstery, Covers, Fabrics
- Spanish, 17th Century
- Beds, Mattresses, Headboards
- Cupboard, Storage, Shelves
- Mirrors, Design, Decoration
- Ancient, Medieval, Modern
- Middle Ages
- Baroque, 17th Century, Design
- Rococo, 18th Century, Design
- Neoclassical, 18th Century, Design
- Modern Design, Materials, Manufacturing
- Chinese Craftsmanship, Materials, Styles
FusáčÄáč ware
FusáčÄáč ware, in IslÄmic ceramics, style of pottery originating from al-FusáčÄáč (now part of Cairo), where, however,......
Gabo, Naum
Naum Gabo was a pioneering Constructivist sculptor who used materials such as glass, plastic, and metal and created......
Gaines, Joanna
Joanna Gaines is an American entrepreneur and decorator who founded (2003) with her husband, Chip Gaines, the lifestyle......
Gainsborough chair
Gainsborough chair, type of English armchair made in the mid-18th century. A wide chair with a high back, it was......
GallĂ©, Ămile
Ămile GallĂ© was a celebrated French designer and pioneer in technical innovations in glass. He was a leading initiator......
Garamond, Claude
Claude Garamond was a French type designer and publisher. Garamond was apprenticed about 1510 to Antoine Augerau......
garden
garden, Plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, or trees are cultivated. The earliest surviving......
garden and landscape design
garden and landscape design, the development and decorative planting of gardens, yards, grounds, parks, and other......
- Introduction
- Art, Science, Nature
- Form, Texture, Color
- Time, Climate, Season
- Accent, Contrast, Elements
- Water Features, Plantings, & Design Principles
- Formal, Informal, Naturalistic
- Historical Development
- European Styles, Plants & Techniques
- French, 17th & 18th Century
- 19th Century, Aesthetics, Nature
- Japanese, Zen, Nature
garden carpet
garden carpet, floor covering designed as a Persian garden seen from directly above. The design consists of a central......
Garland
Garland, a band, or chain, of flowers, foliage, and leaves; it may be joined at the ends to form a circle (wreath),......
garnet
garnet, any member of a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions.......
Gateleg table
Gateleg table, type of table first used in England in the 16th century. The top had a fixed section and one or......
Gates of Paradise
Gates of Paradise, the pair of gilded bronze doors (1425â52) designed by the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti for the......
gauze
gauze, light, open-weave fabric made of cotton when used for surgical dressings and of silk and other fibers when......
gazebo
gazebo, lookout or belvedere in the form of a turret, cupola, or garden house set on a height to give an extensive......
Ge kiln
Ge kiln, kiln known for the wares it produced during the early Song dynasty (960â1162), probably in the Zhejiang......
Gehry, Frank
Frank Gehry was a Canadian American architect and designer whose original, sculptural, often audacious work won......
Geissler, Heinrich
Heinrich Geissler was a German glassblower for whom the Geissler (mercury) pump and the Geissler tube are named.......