Glossary of Terms,
Antique Furniture
K
Kas: Dutch cabinet or sideboard; appears in the Dutch-American colonies of New York and the Delaware valley; sometimes carved walnut, also pine, cherry, or maple; paneled and painted with rather primitive ornaments of vases and flowers.
Keepers: A clasp of brass or iron to hold two sections of a large dining table together.
Kerf: A saw cut. Sometimes on the curved work; a series of saw cuts against the grain, not quite through the board, permitting the bending of the wood into curved shapes.
Kettle Base, Front: Bombe-shaped case, swelling or bulging front and/or sides. Of Baroque inspiration in the early-18th century Continental work, it occurs in fine American Late Colonial.
Key Pattern: See Greek Fret. Ancient Greek band ornament of interlacing lines at right angles. Carved on Mid-Georgian and inlaid or painted on English Regency furniture.
Kidney Table, Bench, Desk, Etc.: Oval shaped with concave front, applied to dressing tables, writing tables, etc. Appears in 18th Century furniture of England and France. Especially favored by Sheraton.
Kiln Dried: Lumber dried by artificial means in warm chambers. The heat is regulated to prevent the too sudden loss of moisture to checking, warping, and other defeats. Besides speed, kiln drying is superior to air drying because the remaining moisture can be controlled.
Klismos: Classic Greek chair recognized by the concave curves in its back and legs. Style revived in the French Directoire and American Federal periods.
Kneading Table: Utilitarian furniture of the provinces of Europe, now used as tables and side tables. Provincial French ones are particularly decorative.
Knee: The upper, convex curve or bulge of the cabriole leg, sometimes called "hip".
Kneehole: Desks, chests, or bureaus are sometimes built with an opening in the center, between the two blanks of the drawers; so called because they make room for the sitter's knees. Sometimes this space is filled part way from the back with a door compartment.
Knife Edge: Single seam on pillows, as distinguished from box edge with two seams.
Knocked Down: Furniture which comes from the factory in parts to be easily assembled by the store or customer.
Knuckle: Carving on the outside end of chairs, principally of Chippendale and Windsor.
Knuckle Joint: Joint; as at separable leaves of a drop-leaf table, resembling a finger joint.
