A chair or sofa crest carved out of solid wood
and dowelled to the top of a laminated chair
back or sofa frame.
Horizontal structural and decorative component
below the front seat of a chair or below the
top of a table or cabinet.
Belter's description, on a bill of sale, of
a group of furniture sold in 1855.
Rhythmic scrolling decorations used in the design
of furniture, metalwork, printing, textiles
and pottery. Belter arabesques are flat, undulating
bands with volutes on each end. Belter arabesques
frame the backs of laminated sofa and chair
becks.
The belief that an object was produced by a
specific individual or group, usually based
upon some evidence to support the belief.
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A carved decorative bowl filled with fruit,
nuts, flowers and foliage in a piece of Belter
furniture.
A prominent New York City cabinetmaker born
in 1808. Baudouine was a competitor of John
Henry Belter.
Born in Germany in 1804, Belter immigrated to
the United States in 1833 and became a citizen
in 1839. Belter's innovative Rococo Revival
furniture designs and use of very thin laminated
wood molded into curved and serpentine shapes
was very popular in the 1840's, 1850's and 1860's.
An impression stamped into a piece of furniture
to identify it's maker.
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Belter's term for the mold he used to shape
laminated wood into the curved and serpentine
shapes he used in the manufacture of furniture.
The design of carved decoration on a piece of
furniture that does not incorporate the cutting
out, or piercing of the furniture being carved
as part of the over all composition
A horn of plenty, overflowing with fruit, flowers
and nuts.
The carved apex on a piece of furniture.
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A carved decorative knob, often shaped like
a turnip on a piece of Belter furniture.
The structural components of a piece of furniture,
often made of different wood than the finished
surface. Belter often used oak in the frames
of his furniture, especially tables and cabinets.
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A Philadelphia furniture manufacturer in the
mid nineteenth century.
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The height of distinction, excellence, quality
and originality.
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The change in social and economic organization
that resulted from the replacement of hand craftsmanship
by machines and the development of mass production
from the late eighteenth century to the middle
of the nineteenth century.
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The spatial relationship of one shape to its
adjoining or nearby shapes.
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A New York City cabinet maker in the mid nineteenth
century. A laminated rosewood chair that has
descended in Klein's family indicates he made
laminated furniture.
Part of the leg in a piece of furniture. On
a Belter chair it is at the top of the front
leg where the leg meets the apron.
On a Belter chair the knuckle is the front of
the armrest, above the vertical arm support.
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The process of gluing thin strips of wood together.
Plywood is laminated wood. The purpose of lamination
is to create a very strong yet thin and lightweight
product for the construction of anything made
of wood.
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A tree native to the West Indies. Wood from
the mahogany tree is excellent for the manufacture
of furniture and was the wood of choice for
many early nineteenth century American cabinet
makers.
A mid nineteenth century New Orleans furniture
maker. Prudence Mallard was born in France and
immigrated to the United States in 1829. There
is no evidence Mallard used laminated wood to
make furniture.
A furniture manufacturing company first started
in New York in the late eighteenth century.
The busines was passed down from father to son
and in the mid nineteenth century was probably
the largest American furniture making company.
Meeks had offices in New York and New Orleans.
A large group of thickly laminated rosewood
furniture is attributed to Meeks.
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Naturalistic carving imitates real life, attempting
to make carved objects appear as life- like
as possible.
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A model or guide to make identical or nearly
identical objects over and over again.
The design of carved decoration on a piece of
furniture that incorporates the cutting out,
or piercing of the furniture being carved as
part of the over all composition.
The square or rectangular shaped block at center
of a tables stretchers.
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A style of furniture design popular in the United
States from about 1860-1875. Characterized by
massive size, rectangular shapes, and less carved
decoration than Rococo Revival style.
A style of furniture design popular in the United
States from about 1840-1865. Characterized by
curved lines and elaborate carving.
A tree native to South America. Rosewood is
very hard, brittle and heavy. Rosewood gets
it name frome the smell of roses emitted when
the wood is cut. Rosewood has always been a
very expensive "luxury" wood popular
for the manufacture of expensive furniture because
of its beautiful grain. Rosewood is a very slow
growing tree and is now an endangered species
with import/export restrictions.
Alexander was a mid nineteenth century furniture
maker in New York City. Roux was born in France
and immigrated to the United states .
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A decorative motif found in Rococo Revival furniture.
Belter used scrolling vines as the main theme
in the pierced work of his furniture.
Like a serpent; The curving "s" shapes
in Rococo furniture.
The horizontal structural crosspiece joining
and strengthening the legs of tables and chairs.
Massive furniture made to accomodate the scale
of spacious southern plantation homes.
As opposed to naturalistic carving, stylized
carving embellishes on life, and is an interpretation
of the carvers artistic concepts.
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As it relates to American laminated wood Rococo
Revival furniture, a thick lamination is about
1/8" thick, or twice the thickness of a
"thin lamination". Furniture attributed
to Meeks uses thick laminations.
As it relates to American laminated wood Rococo
Revival furniture, a thin lamination is about
.063 inch thick (.063 inch is about 1/16").
John Henry Belter's laminated furniture uses
thin laminations.
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A spiral scroll; the button like shape on each
end of a Belter arabesque.
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A thin piece of desireable wood glued onto the
finished side of a piece of furniture to cover
the less attractive but often stronger or less
expensive wood used for the structural frame.
Belter made his laminated furniture using seven
or more pieces of veneer glued together to create
thin sheets of wood that were pressed into serpentine
shapes in a caul.
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