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Apr12Burled wood forms naturally in nature when a tree forms bumps (or burls) on the outside of the trunk. When the wood is cut into planks, the burls create an interesting pattern in the grain and this is known as “burled wood”. Most of the burled wood we have is elm, walnut and mahogany but it can occur in other wood species too. Book-matched grain veneer is created by splitting the tree trunk down the middle, opening it like a book and shaving off the two matching sides of the wood. This is obviously a very expensive process but produces a beautiful effect and adds richness and interest to the pattern of the grain. Book-Matched Burled Walnut Chest of Drawers France, circa 1860
 If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Apr8Corey Amaro moved to France 20 years ago with her new French husband. Her web site has some very nice photos of old French furniture, linens and bric-a-brac that she has collected over the years. If you weren’t already yearning for the Country French look, this web site will surely make you do so. We take no responsibility for the relentless urge you will get, after seeing this web site, to throw out everything you possess and scour the web for anything and everything French, old, and irresistible. Enter at your peril: http://willows95988.typepad.com/ If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Mar231515 - 1560 Renaissance 1560 - 1643 Louis XIII 1643 - 1715 Louis XIV 1715 - 1723 Regence 1723 - 1774 Louis XV 1774 - 1792 Louis XVI 1793 - 1804 Directoire 1804 - 1814 Empire 1814 - 1830 Restoration & Charles 1830 - 1848 Louis Philippe 1848 - 1870 Second Empire (Napoleon III) 1870 - 1890 Revival 1890 - 1920 Art Nouveau 1920 - 1940 Art Deco
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Cherubs or Putti? – Take your pick
Here at the antique store, we sometimes come across the decorative motif of putti. They are child-like figures with wings and are similar to cherubs but not exactly the same, which leads to the question: what exactly is the difference?
Putti (or are they cherubs?) can be found on child sarcophagi dating from the 2nd century. In the early15th century, they began to appear in works of art, both secular and religious, in Italy and were used by numerous artists including Donatello and Raphael. Their popularity spread to the Netherlands, Germany and Renaissance France.
It is difficult to define the difference between putti and cherubs; a convenient generalization would be to say that cherubs appear in a religious context whereas the genesis of putti is mythic or secular. Another way of looking at it is that the derivation of the word “putto” (the plural is “putti”) is from the same Italian word meaning “child” whereas cherubs are thought of as angelic and not of this world.
So next time you see a cherub/putto, take your pick, the choice is yours.
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