Glossary of Terms,
Antique Furniture
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Marbling: Process of painting wood to simulate the color and markings of marble.
Marquetry: Inlay of contrasting wood into a background of veneer.
Mate' Chair: Same as captain's chair, without arms.
Martha Washington: (1) Simple-lined highback narrow chair with open wood arms. Hepplewhite or Sheraton feeling in American work, late18th and early19th Centuries. (2) Small worktable or sewing cabinet with wood receptacle or cabinet for materials, American, 1780-1850.
Medallion: A round, oval, or rectangular ornament, usually carved, and applied near the junction of two members as chair legs where the stretchers join it. May be of wood, stone, ceramic, or metal that is painted, carved, etched, or stamped.
Mediterranean: Commercial style name applied to furniture inspired by that in countries touching on the Mediterranean Sea, but mainly Spanish.
Mission: Heavy, dark, oak furniture originating in Spanish missions of California. Crude and blocky with square lines. It is upholstered in leather with hand-hammered copper nailheads. Popular in the first decade of the 20th Century, it paralleled the Arts and Crafts Movement in England.
Miter: Joint in the molding where it changes direction, usually at 90 degrees.
Modern: A broad term referring to the continually changing furniture of our time; employing new materials and manufacturing techniques, and influenced by constandly evolving social customs and economic conditions.
Modillion: a series of ornamental brackets projecting at regular intervals beneath a cornice.
Modular System: A collection of units designed for various purposes( including seating, storage, display, and shelving) which are manufactured in standard sizes and provide foe easy assembly into horizontal and vertical multiple arrangements.
Mohair: Lustrous upholstery fabric, originally made from the hair of the Angora goat. The Moors introduced it into Spain where it spread to England and northern Europe. Today it is a cotton-wool mixture.
Morris Chair: A large, straight-lined wood framed easy chair with adjustable back, loose cushions. Named after it's supposed inventor, William Morris, it is the ancestor of the easy chair.
Mortise: Hole in wood, into which the tenon or tongue fits.
Mosaic: Inlaid patterns of small pieces of wood, glass, stone, etc., conventional or pictorial in effect.
Mother-of-Pearl: The cut and polished hard internal layer of certain shells used mainly for inlays.
Motif: Distinctive feature or element of design or ornament; theme.
Mottled: Spotted, speckled, or blotchy figures in veneer.
Muffin Stand: Small tier for plates, used in tea service in England and America.
