Makers, Periods & Styles Library

Oak is a tree belonging to the genus Quercus (Latin for ‘oak tree’) which has some 600 species within it. Oak is prized because of its great strength, hardness and resistance to fungal and insect attack due to its high tannin content. It is very durable and easy to maintain. It has an attractive grain […]

Olive wood from olive trees and shrubs is very hard and so suitable for furniture making. The main sources of Olive wood in Europe are Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey.

The Opera Hat, is a type of collapsible top hat. It is also known as a ‘Gibus’ after an inventor. The idea first appeared in 1812 when Thomas Francis Dollman, an English hatter, patented a design for a collapsible top hat based on an elastic steel spring. The patent ran out in 1825 and around […]

Ormolu – (from French ‘or moulu’, meaning ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to a bronze object.The mercury is burnt off in a kiln and the gold-coloured veneer left behind is known as ‘gilt bronze’. The manufacture of true ormolu...

An Ottoman is a furniture piece comprising an upholstered padded bench seat without any back or arms and was often used as a stool or footstool. The ottoman came to Europe from Turkey in the late 18th century where it was used as family seating and piled with cushions. In Europe it was designed as […]

Oystering or oyster veneer is a form of parquetry that uses thin slices of wood branches cut on the cross-sections which are used as veneer to form patterns on furniture. It is known as ‘oystering’ due to the circular pattern resembling an oyster shell. The technique was developed by English cabinet makers in...

P.E. Gane Ltd (1909-1954), were cabinet makers who became associated with producing quality Arts & Crafts and Arts Nouveau furniture. Philip Endres Gane became sole proprietor of Trapnell & Gane cabinet makers in 1909 and took the opportunity to not only change its name to his own, but also to move away from the...

Is a style of architecture based on the work of Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). Palladio drew his inspiration from the formal temple architecture of Ancient Greek and Rome using their symmetry, perspective and values as the basis of his own architectural concepts and design. He was a follower of the...

Papier Maché, the term is French for ‘chewed paper’ It is a material made from paper pulp or pieces which are bound with an adhesive such as wallpaper paste, glue or starch and reinforced with textiles. The traditional method for making it was to mix flour and water to thick cream like texture and add […]