Decorative Art, STU-TUN

People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. That’s where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
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Decorative Art Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Stuart style
Stuart style, visual arts produced during the reign of the British house of Stuart; that is, from 1603 to 1714......
suit
suit, in dress design, matching set of clothes consisting, for example, of a coat, vest, and trousers. The shift......
Sukhoi
Sukhoi, Russian aerospace design bureau that is the country’s second most important producer of military aircraft......
Sultanabad ware
Sultanabad ware, Islāmic ceramics produced at Sultanabad (modern Solṭānābād, Iran) that reached its peak as a style......
Sulṭān Muḥammad
Sulṭān Muḥammad was one of the greatest of Persian painters and the most notable artist of the Safavid school at......
sundial
sundial, the earliest type of timekeeping device, which indicates the time of day by the position of the shadow......
sunstone
sunstone, a gemstone variety of feldspar that has minute platelike inclusions of iron oxide (hematite or goethite)......
supermodel
supermodel, a very famous and successful fashion model. Often recognized by their first name only, supermodels......
surcoat
surcoat, sleeved or sleeveless outer garment worn by European men and women during the 13th and 14th centuries.......
Sutherland, Graham
Graham Sutherland was an English painter who was best known for his Surrealistic landscapes. Sutherland was educated......
Suzhou embroidery
Suzhou embroidery, silk, satin, and other textiles decorated using soft, coloured silk threads and produced at......
sweater
sweater, outer garment, usually knitted or crocheted, that is worn on the upper part of the body, either pulled......
sweetgrass basket
sweetgrass basket, type of basket made of sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes), so called because it smells like freshly......
swimsuit
swimsuit, garment designed for wearing while swimming. Sea bathing became popular in the mid-19th century when......
synthetic diamond
synthetic diamond, man-made diamond that is usually produced by subjecting graphite to very high temperatures and......
Sèvres porcelain
Sèvres porcelain, French hard-paste, or true, porcelain as well as soft-paste porcelain (a porcellaneous material......
Sōgetsu
Sōgetsu, 20th-century Japanese school of floral art that introduced the zen’ei (“avant-garde”) ikebana style in......
table
table, basic article of furniture, known and used in the Western world since at least the 7th century bce, consisting......
taboret
taboret, type of armless and backless seat or stool. Early taborets were probably named for their cylindrical shape,......
Tabrīz carpet
Tabrīz carpet, floor covering handmade in or around Tabrīz, the principal city of northwestern Iran and one of......
Taeuber-Arp, Sophie
Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss French Dada artist, textile designer, and modern dancer whose multimedia works bridged......
taffeta
taffeta, fine, crisp plain-woven fabric with a faint weft, or filling-way, rib due to the greater number of warp......
taj
taj, brimless hat, usually conical or curved on top, worn by men and women in Muslim countries. The taj (from the......
tambour
tambour, embroidery worked on material that has been stretched taut on a tambour frame, which consists of two wooden......
taotie
taotie, monster mask commonly found on ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessels and implements. The taotie characteristically......
tape lace
tape lace, lace in which the pattern is made up of tape set in a background either of thread bars (brides) or net.......
Tara brooch
Tara brooch, fine example of a Celtic ring brooch, found on the seashore at Bettystown, south of Drogheda, and......
tarboosh
tarboosh, close-fitting, flat-topped, brimless hat shaped like a truncated cone. It is made of felt or cloth with......
tartan
tartan, cross-checkered repeating pattern (or “sett”) of different coloured bands, stripes, or lines of definite......
Tassie, James
James Tassie was a Scottish gem engraver and modeler known for reproductions of engraved gems and for portrait......
tatami
tatami, rectangular mat used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. It consists of a thick straw base and a soft,......
tatting
tatting, process by which a fabric akin to lace is made of thread with a small hand shuttle and the fingers. It......
tattoo
tattoo, permanent mark or design made on the body by the introduction of pigment through ruptures in the skin.......
Tawney, Lenore
Lenore Tawney was an American artist whose compositions helped transform weaving from an underappreciated craft......
Taymor, Julie
Julie Taymor is an American stage and film director, playwright, and costume designer known for her inventive use......
taʿlīq script
taʿlīq script, in Arabic calligraphy, cursive style of lettering developed in Iran in the 10th century. It is thought......
Tekke carpet
Tekke carpet, floor covering woven by the Tekke Turkmen, the major population group of Turkmenistan. Although elements......
terra sigillata ware
terra sigillata ware, bright-red, polished pottery used throughout the Roman Empire from the 1st century bc to......
terra-cotta
terra-cotta, literally, any kind of fired clay but, in general usage, a kind of object—e.g., vessel, figure, or......
tessellated pavement
tessellated pavement, interior or exterior floor covering composed of stone tesserae (Latin: “dice”), cubes, or......
tessera
tessera, in mosaic work, a small piece of stone, glass, ceramic, or other hard material cut in a cubical or some......
testeggiata
testeggiata, in calligraphy, the headed ascenders or plumelike terminals to b, d, h, and l, in particular, which......
The Evergreen Benefits of Rooftop Gardening
Also known as a “green roof” or “landscaped rooftop,” a rooftop garden is a cultivated garden on top of a building.......
The Mechanical Turk: AI Marvel or Parlor Trick?
In 1769 a Hungarian civil servant named Wolfgang von Kempelen went to a magic show in Vienna. It wasn’t just any......
Theophilus
Theophilus was a German monk who wrote De diversis artibus (c. 1110–40; also called Schedula diversarum artium),......
Thomas, Mickalene
Mickalene Thomas is an American mixed-media artist best known for portraits of Black women that are often made......
Thonet, Michael
Michael Thonet was a German-Austrian pioneer in the industrialization of furniture manufacture. His experiments......
Thorn-Prikker, Jan
Jan Thorn-Prikker was a Dutch painter, designer, and decorator in the Art Nouveau style. He was an important figure......
throne
throne, chair of state often set on a dais and surmounted by a canopy, representing the power of the dignitary......
thuluth script
thuluth script, in calligraphy, medieval Islamic style of handwritten alphabet. Thuluth (Arabic: “one-third”) is......
Tibetan carpet
Tibetan carpet, floor covering handwoven in Tibet and, more recently, by Tibetan refugees elsewhere. Before 1959,......
tie rubbing
tie rubbing, imprint taken from calligraphy engraved on stone or wood. The practice emerged in the Tang dynasty......
tie-dyeing
tie-dyeing, method of dyeing by hand in which coloured patterns are produced in the fabric by gathering together......
Tiffany, Louis Comfort
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American painter, craftsman, philanthropist, decorator, and designer, internationally......
tigereye
tigereye, semiprecious quartz gem displaying chatoyancy, a vertical luminescent band like that of a cat’s eye.......
tigerware
tigerware, 16th- and 17th-century German stoneware having a brown, mottled glaze, and made in the Rhenish centres......
tilt-top table
tilt-top table, table, the top of which is hinged to a central pedestal in such a way that it can be turned from......
tin-glazed earthenware
tin-glazed earthenware, earthenware covered with an opaque glaze that, unless colour has been added, is white.......
tinplate
tinplate, thin steel sheet with a coating of tin applied either by dipping in molten metal or by electrolytic deposition;......
tinware
tinware, utilitarian and decorative objects made of tinplate and, more rarely, of pure tin. Tin was used as an......
tippet
tippet, long, narrow, cloth streamer, usually white, worn around the arm above the elbow, with the long end hanging......
Tissot, James
James Tissot was a French painter, engraver, and enameler noted for his portraits of late Victorian society. After......
toastmaster’s glass
toastmaster’s glass, English glass about the size of an ordinary drinking glass but with only about one-quarter......
Toft, Thomas
Thomas Toft was one of the most prominent of the English potters working in Staffordshire during the 17th century.......
toga
toga, characteristic loose, draped outer garment of Roman citizens. Adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans, it......
togidashi maki-e
togidashi maki-e, in Japanese lacquerwork, kind of maki-e (q.v.). In this technique, the design is painted in lacquer,......
toile de Jouy
toile de Jouy, cotton or linen printed with designs of landscapes and figures for which the 18th-century factory......
toile peinte
toile peinte, large sheet of heavy, flexible fabric on which a tapestry cartoon (a full-sized preliminary study......
toleware
toleware, any object of japanned (varnished) tinplate and pewter. The term is derived from the French name for......
Tondern lace
Tondern lace, lace made at Tønder (German: Tondern), Den., in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bobbin-made......
topaz
topaz, silicate mineral that is valued as a gemstone. It is believed that the topaz of modern mineralogists was......
topiary
topiary, the training of living trees and shrubs into artificial, decorative shapes. Thickly leaved evergreen shrubs......
toque
toque, small, round, close-fitting hat, brimless or with a small brim, once worn by both men and women. In the......
Torchon lace
Torchon lace, coarse bobbin-made lace (see bobbin lace) made by peasants in most European countries in which simple......
torque
torque, in jewelry, a metal collar, neck ring, or armband consisting of a bar or ribbon of twisted metal curved......
tortoiseshell
tortoiseshell, ornamental material obtained from the curved horny shields forming the shell of the hawksbill turtle......
tortoiseshell ware
tortoiseshell ware, earthenware with variegated, surface colour made in Staffordshire, England, in the 18th century.......
Tory, Geoffroy
Geoffroy Tory was a publisher, printer, author, orthographic reformer, and prolific engraver who was mainly responsible......
totem pole
totem pole, carved and painted log, mounted vertically, constructed by the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast......
toupee
toupee, originally, any raised roll of hair just above the forehead, either natural or artificial; today, a small......
tourmaline
tourmaline, borosilicate mineral of complex and variable composition. Three types of tourmaline, distinguished......
Tournai porcelain
Tournai porcelain, porcelain made from about the mid-18th to the mid-19th century at a factory in Tournai, Belg.......
Toutin, Jean
Toutin, Jean was a French enamelworker who was one of the first artists to make enamel portrait miniatures. Although......
transfer printing
transfer printing, method of decorating pottery by using an inked, engraved copperplate to make a print on paper......
Transylvanian rug
Transylvanian rug, any of the large numbers of floor coverings found in the churches of Transylvania (part of Romania),......
treated gem
treated gem, genuine gem material whose colour has been artificially enhanced or produced to increase the value......
treen
treen, small wooden objects in daily domestic or farm use and in use in trades and professions. Treen includes......
trellis
trellis, framework on which trees and climbing plants are trained. It is usually constructed of long, narrow wood......
Trevelyan, Julian
Julian Trevelyan was a British artist who was a founding member of the British Surrealist group in the 1930s. He......
tripod
tripod, any piece of furniture with three legs. The word can apply to a wide range of objects, including stools,......
Triptych
Triptych, work of art made of three sections or panels, often used to tell a narrative story or depict a complex......
Trnka, Jiří
Jiří Trnka was a preeminent filmmaker of the Czech puppet animation tradition who was also a painter, designer,......
trousers
trousers, an outer garment covering the lower half of the body from the waist to the ankles and divided into sections......
Troy, Jean-François de
Jean-François de Troy was a French Rococo painter known for his tableaux de mode, or scenes of the life of the......
trundle bed
trundle bed, a low bed, so called from the trundles, or casters, that were attached to the feet so that it could......
Tschichold, Jan
Jan Tschichold was a German typographer and author who played a seminal role in the development of 20th-century......
tsuzure
tsuzure, Japanese tapestry, the full name of which is tsuzure-nishiki (“polychrome tapestry”). They were usually......
Tucker porcelain
Tucker porcelain, pottery ware made from 1826 to 1838 at a factory founded in Philadelphia by William Ellis Tucker,......
tunic
tunic, basic garment worn by men and women in the ancient Mediterranean world. It was fashioned from two pieces......

Decorative Art Encyclopedia Articles By Title