Arts & Crafts Oak 'Otley' Fire Bellows by Archibald Knox

• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.
  
  Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,
  
  Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.
  
  Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.
• Entrelac - In decorative arts, entrelac refers to a decorative technique that creates a woven or basket-weave-like pattern. The term "entrelac" is derived from the French word "entrelacer," which means "to interlace." In decorative arts, entrelac is often used to describe patterns that are created by interlacing or weaving together strips or bands of material.
  
  In ceramics, entrelac is sometimes used to describe decorative patterns that are created by interlacing or weaving together strips or bands of clay. This technique can be used to create intricate designs and patterns on pottery, tiles, and other ceramic objects.
  
  In other decorative arts, such as furniture, entrelac can be used to describe decorative inlays or marquetry, where wooden or other materials appear woven together to create intricate designs. This technique can be used to create decorative details on furniture, such as table tops and aprons, chair legs, and cabinet doors.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• fireplace accessories - bellows 71
• Knox, Archibald (United Kingdom) - designer 109
• Liberty & Co. - other decorative items 218