19th Century French Louis XVI-style Walnut Armoire

• Scrolls - Serpentine-shaped forms, used in cabinet construction and decoration for centuries. The scroll appears in legs, feet, as carving in chair brackets, chair rails and arms. The deeper and more spontaneous the carving is, the earlier the piece is likely to be. The Regency or 'Thomas Hope' scroll, used on pediments and sideboard backs, consists of two scrolls on the horizontal plane, placed back to back in a mirror image, and sometimes decorated with a variety of carved and/or applied ornament, such as shells, foliate and other motifs. Chippendale-style furniture is often distinguished by two corresponding scrolls in the form of a 'C' in the upper splat or where chair legs join the seat rail.
• Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
  
  Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
• Pediment - The uppermost section of a tall usually double-heightened piece of cabinet furniture, surmounting the cornice. The pediment can take a variety of forms derived from the architecture of classical antiquity. A broken pediment is of triangular shape, however, the two raised sides do not meet at the apex but are 'broken' the gap between them often ornamented with an urn or finial. Swan-neck pediments are of similar form, although the uprights are gracefully arched, resembling a swan's neck. They are often found, for example, on longcase clocks.
• Bevel / Chamfer - In furniture making, a chamfered corner refers to a technique used to create a smooth, angled edge on the corner of a piece of furniture. This is typically done by cutting away a small portion of the corner at an angle, typically 45 degrees, creating a diagonal edge, rather than a sharp 90-degree angle. This technique can be used on various parts of a piece of furniture such as table legs, drawer fronts, or door frames. Chamfering can add visual interest to a piece and can help to soften the overall look of a piece of furniture. It is often used in conjunction with other techniques, such as rounding edges or using contrasting wood species to create a more elegant, sophisticated look. Chamfering is a simple way to add a touch of elegance to a piece of furniture and it is a common technique used by furniture makers.
• Rail - A term used by cabinet makers for the horizontal sections of the frame of an item such as a chair or settee which have a front rail, a back rail and two side rails, and also on a door or carcase, where the rails are joined to the vertical framings.
• Cresting - The decorative carving at the top of a piece of furniture, such as a sideboard back, a mirror, or a chair back.
• Turning - Any part of a piece of furniture that has been turned and shaped with chisels on a lathe. Turned sections include legs, columns, feet, finials, pedestals, stretchers, spindles etc. There have been many varieties and fashions over the centuries: baluster, melon, barley-sugar, bobbin, cotton-reel, rope-twist, and so on. Split turning implies a turned section that has been cut in half lengthwise and applied to a cabinet front as a false decorative support.
• Pilasters - In furniture a pilaster is a flattened column-like detail
  
  applied to furniture. It is similar to a pilaster in architecture, but it is
  
  typically smaller and less ornate. Pilasters are often used to decorate the
  
  fronts of bookcases, cabinets, and other pieces of furniture. Pilasters can be
  
  made of wood, metal, or other materials. They can be fluted, carved, or plain.
  
  Pilasters are often used to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to
  
  furniture.

• Laurel Leaf - The use of the laurel leaf as a decorative element can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, where it was closely associated with victory and honour. In these cultures, the laurel was a sacred tree that was dedicated to the god Apollo and was believed to have protective and healing properties.
  
  In ancient Greece, the laurel wreath was awarded to victors in athletic competitions, such as the Olympic Games, as a symbol of their achievement. The wreath was also associated with academic achievement, and was often worn by scholars and poets. The Greeks also used the laurel leaf as a symbol of victory in war, and it was often depicted in artwork alongside images of triumphant warriors and heroes.
  
  The Romans continued this tradition, and the laurel wreath became a symbol of the highest military honor, the triumph, awarded to victorious generals. The wreath was also used to crown emperors and other important officials, and was often depicted in Roman art and architecture as a symbol of power and authority.
  
  The laurel leaf is still used as a symbol of achievement, success, and excellence, and is frequently used in logos, emblems, and other branding materials. Its association with victory and honour has made it a popular choice for awards, medals, and other forms of recognition.
• Fluting - A form of decoration found on many pieces of furniture, as well as ceramics, silver and clocks, in which round-bottomed grooves, of varying width and depth, are let into columns, pilasters, legs. As a general rule, flutes are cut in the vertical, though they may follow a turned leg in a spiral pattern. In cross-section, they may be described as a series of 'U' shapes, rising and narrowing at each end of the groove. Fluting is the opposite of reeding, with which fluting is often associated.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• armoires 301
• wardrobes, period or style - Victorian 226
• wardrobes, timber - walnut and burr walnut 27