Decorative Art, AAL-BAR

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.
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Decorative Art Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Aalto, Alvar
Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect, city planner, and furniture designer whose international reputation rests......
Abtsbessingen faience
Abtsbessingen faience, tin-glazed earthenware produced in a factory in the village of Abtsbessingen, Thuringia......
Achilles Painter
Achilles Painter was an Athenian vase painter known by and named for an amphora attributed to him with a painting......
Act of Parliament clock
Act of Parliament clock, weight-driven wall clock with a large wooden, painted or lacquered dial. More correctly,......
Ada group
Ada group, ivory carvings and a group of about 10 illuminated manuscripts, dating from the last quarter of the......
Adam, Robert
Robert Adam was a Scottish architect and designer who, with his brother James (1730–94), transformed Palladian......
Admiral carpet
Admiral carpet, any of a number of 14th- or 15th-century carpets handwoven in Spain, probably at Letur or at Liétor......
aegis
aegis, in ancient Greece, leather cloak or breastplate generally associated with Zeus, the king of the gods, and......
Affenkapelle ware
Affenkapelle ware, (German: “Monkey Orchestra”), a series of figures created by the Meissen porcelain factory in......
Affleck, Thomas
Thomas Affleck was an American cabinetmaker considered to be outstanding among the Philadelphia craftsmen working......
Afghan carpet
Afghan carpet, thick, heavy floor covering handwoven by Turkmen craftsmen in Afghanistan and adjacent parts of......
Agar, Eileen
Eileen Agar was a British artist known for her Surrealist paintings, collages, and objects. She was one of the......
agateware
agateware, in pottery, 18th-century ware of varicoloured clay, with an overall marbled effect. It was sometimes......
aigrette
aigrette, tuft of long, white heron (usually egret) plumes used as a decorative headdress, or any other ornament......
alabastron
alabastron, elongated, narrow-necked flask, used as a perfume or unguent container. The Greek alabastron has no......
albarello
albarello, pottery jar for apothecaries’ ointments and dry drugs made in the Near East and in Spain and produced......
Albers, Anni
Anni Albers was a German-born textile designer who was one of the most influential figures in textile arts in the......
Alcaraz carpet
Alcaraz carpet, floor covering handwoven in 15th- and 16th-century Spain at Alcaraz in Murcia. These carpets use......
Alençon lace
Alençon lace, needle lace produced in Alençon in northwestern France. The city of Alençon was already famous for......
alicatado
alicatado, mosaic formed of polygonal, coloured glazed tiles. Made up into geometric patterns, they have been used......
allée
allée, feature of the French formal garden that was both a promenade and an extension of the view. It either ended......
almandine
almandine, either of two semiprecious gemstones: a violet-coloured variety of ruby spinel (q.v.) or iron aluminum......
Alpujarra rug
Alpujarra rug, handwoven floor covering with pile in loops, made in Spain from the 15th to the 19th century in......
Altare glass
Altare glass, type of Italian glassware produced in the town of Altare, near Genoa. The Altare glass industry was......
altarpiece
altarpiece, work of art that decorates the space above and behind the altar in a Christian church. Painting, relief,......
amazonstone
amazonstone, a gemstone variety of green microcline (q.v.), a feldspar mineral. Frequently confused with jade,......
amberina glass
amberina glass, blended colour glass in which the lower part, a yellowish amber, merges into a ruby-red colour......
amethyst
amethyst, a transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz that is valued as a semiprecious gem......
amphora
amphora, ancient vessel form used as a storage jar and one of the principal vessel shapes in Greek pottery, a two-handled......
ampulla
ampulla, a small narrow-necked, round-bodied vase for holding liquids, especially oil and perfumes. It was used......
amulet
amulet, an object, either natural or man-made, believed to be endowed with special powers to protect or bring good......
Angleterre
Angleterre, bobbin lace comparable to fine Brussels lace in thread, technique, and design; but whether it was made......
Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art, manuscript illumination and architecture produced in Britain from about the 7th century to the......
animal interlace
animal interlace, in calligraphy, rich, fanciful decorative motif characteristic of work by the Hiberno-Saxon book......
anklet
anklet, in jewelry, bracelet worn around the ankle. Ornamental anklets have been worn for centuries, particularly......
antimacassar
antimacassar, protective covering thrown over the back of a chair or the head or cushions of a sofa, named after......
antique
antique, a relic or old object having aesthetic, historic, and financial value. Formerly, it referred only to the......
apostle spoon
apostle spoon, spoon for personal use at table, the handle of which is surmounted by a small figure of an apostle,......
apotropaic eye
apotropaic eye, a painting of an eye or eyes used as a symbol to ward off evil, appearing most commonly on Greek......
application lace
application lace, lace produced by the application, by stitching, of design motifs (typically floral) to a background......
appliqué
appliqué, sewing technique in which fabric patches are layered on a foundation fabric, then stitched in place by......
Aprey faience
Aprey faience, tin-glazed earthenware produced by the factory of Jacques Lallemant de Villehaut, Baron d’Aprey,......
aquamarine
aquamarine, pale greenish blue or bluish green variety of beryl that is valued as a gemstone. The most common variety......
arabesque
arabesque, style of decoration characterized by intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs. Derived from......
arbor
arbor, garden shelter providing privacy and partial protection from the weather. The name is used for a modest......
arcanist
arcanist, (from Latin arcanum, “secret”), in the 18th century, a European who knew or claimed to know the secret......
Archipenko, Alexander
Alexander Archipenko was a Ukrainian American artist best known for his original Cubist-inspired sculptural style.......
Architects Collaborative, The
The Architects Collaborative (TAC), association of architects specializing in school buildings that was founded......
archivolt
archivolt, molding running around the face of an arch immediately above the opening. The architectural term is......
Ardabīl Carpet
Ardabīl Carpet, either of a pair of Persian carpets that are among the most famous examples of early classical......
Ardagh Chalice
Ardagh Chalice, large, two-handled silver cup, decorated with gold, gilt bronze, and enamel, one of the best-known......
Argentan lace
Argentan lace, lace produced in Normandy from the 17th century. The town of Argentan lies in the same lace-making......
Arkwright, Sir Richard
Sir Richard Arkwright was a textile industrialist and inventor whose use of power-driven machinery and employment......
armlet
armlet, decorative band, usually of gold, silver, or other metal and sometimes featuring precious gems, worn for......
armoire
armoire, large two-door cupboard, usually movable and containing shelves, hanging space, and sometimes drawers.......
armorial ensign
armorial ensign, heraldic symbol carried on a flag or shield. The term is much misunderstood because of the popular......
Armoury Museum
Armoury Museum, in Moscow, oldest museum in Russia. It is housed in a building between the Great Kremlin Palace......
arms, coat of
coat of arms, the principal part of a system of hereditary symbols dating back to early medieval Europe, used primarily......
arms, roll of
roll of arms, illuminated manuscript describing (blazoning) and often illustrating (emblazoning) the arms of persons......
Arraiolos rug
Arraiolos rug, embroidered floor covering made at Arraiolos, north of Évora in Portugal. The technique is a form......
Arras lace
Arras lace, bobbin lace made at Arras, Fr., from the 17th century onward and similar to that of Lille. Although......
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design, private coeducational institution of higher learning in Pasadena, California, U.S.,......
Art Deco
Art Deco, movement in the decorative arts and architecture that originated in the 1920s and developed into a major......
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau, style of art that flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe and the United States.......
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement, English aesthetic movement of the second half of the 19th century that represented the......
aryballos
aryballos, small, narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly......
Asam, Cosmas Damian
Cosmas Damian Asam was a German fresco painter and principal late Baroque exponent of illusionist decoration. He,......
Asam, Egid Quirin
Egid Quirin Asam was a late Baroque architect whose work, often produced in collaboration with his brother Cosmas......
Ashbee, Charles Robert
Charles Robert Ashbee was an English architect, designer, and leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England......
ashide-e
ashide-e, (Japanese: “reed-script picture”), decorative, cursive style of Japanese calligraphy, the characters......
asparagus stone
asparagus stone, gem-quality, asparagus-green apatite. See...
asphalt tile
asphalt tile, smooth-surfaced floor covering made from a mixture of asphalts or synthetic resins, asbestos fibres,......
assembled gem
assembled gem, cut jewel manufactured from two or three pieces of stone that are cemented together to create a......
Astbury ware
Astbury ware, English earthenware produced by John Astbury and his son Thomas from about 1725; later a term for......
Astbury, John
John Astbury was a pioneer of English potting technology and the earliest of the great Staffordshire potters. Although......
Astbury-Whieldon ware
Astbury-Whieldon ware, English pottery, principally earthenware, with applied decoration, produced from about 1730......
Aubusson carpet
Aubusson carpet, floor covering, usually of considerable size, handwoven at the villages of Aubusson and Felletin,......
auricular style
auricular style, a 17th-century ornamental style based on parts of the human anatomy. It was invented in the early......
Austrian Hunting Carpet
Austrian Hunting Carpet, Persian floor covering of silk with the addition of threads wrapped in gilded silver.......
automaton
automaton, any of various mechanical objects that are relatively self-operating after they have been set in motion.......
aventurine
aventurine, either of two gem minerals, one a plagioclase feldspar and the other quartz. Both have a sparkling......
Axminster carpet
Axminster carpet, floor covering made originally in a factory founded at Axminster, Devon, England, in 1755 by......
Ayrshire whitework
Ayrshire whitework, in embroidery, a type of drawn thread work done in white thread on white material. Although......
azulejo
azulejo, (from Arabic al-zulayj, “little stone”), Spanish and later principally Portuguese tiles produced from......
Aḥmad Mūsā
Aḥmad Mūsā was a painter active at the court of the Il Khans at Tabrīz. He is said to have learned painting from......
Baccarat glass
Baccarat glass, glassware produced by an important glasshouse founded in 1765 at Baccarat, Fr. Originally a producer......
Baghdad school
Baghdad school, stylistic movement of Islāmic manuscript illustration, founded in the late 12th century (though......
Bakewell glass
Bakewell glass, glassware produced at the factory completed in 1808 in Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S., by Benjamin Bakewell,......
Bakhtiari rug
Bakhtiari rug, handwoven pile floor covering made under Bakhtyārī patronage in certain villages southwest of Eṣfahān......
Bakst, Léon
Léon Bakst was a Jewish Russian artist who revolutionized theatrical design both in scenery and in costume. His......
Baku rug
Baku rug, handwoven floor covering made in the vicinity of Baku, Azerbaijan, a major port on the Caspian Sea. Rugs......
balas ruby
balas ruby, variety of the gemstone ruby spinel...
Baldung, Hans
Hans Baldung was a painter and graphic artist, one of the most outstanding figures in northern Renaissance art.......
Baluchi rug
Baluchi rug, floor covering woven by the Baloch people living in Afghanistan and eastern Iran. The patterns in......
banjo clock
banjo clock, type of clock, so named because its upper portion is shaped like an inverted banjo. The clock was......
Banshan ware
Banshan ware, type of Chinese Neolithic painted pottery. Its name is derived from the grave site in the Gansu province......
Baotou carpet
Baotou carpet, floor covering handwoven in Baotou, in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China, noted for......
barber
barber, a person whose primary activities in the 20th century are trimming and styling the hair of men, shaving......
Barbotine ware
Barbotine ware, pottery decorated with a clay slip applied by means of a technique first employed on Rhenish pottery......
Barcelona chair
Barcelona chair, one of the most-recognized chairs of the 20th century. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der......

Decorative Art Encyclopedia Articles By Title