Antique Furniture Terms Explained
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- Hadley chest: Chest with drawers of joined construction with three panels on the front and carved all over the front with a distinctive abstract design of flowers and leaves. Dating from the early 18th century, such chests were made in the Upper Connecticut River Valley. The name refers to Hadley, Massachusetts, the area where the chests were made.
- Hairy paw foot: Foot carved to resemble an animals paw. Seen occasionally on American Chippendale style furniture, another version of the hairy paw foot was more commonly found on American Empire style furniture.
- Hall chair: A chair form used in the hallways of American homes during the mid- to late 19th century. Such chairs were often more sculptural than comfortable and reflect the complicated social ritual of calling practiced during this time.
- Hawk: Common ancient Egyptian motif found on archeologically inspired furniture.
- Heart-and-crown chair: Type of turned William and Mary-style chair made along the Connecticut coast during the early to mid-18th century. Name refers to the distinctive outline and piercing of the crest rail.
- Heart-shaped back: A chair back shaped like a heart. Some Maryland chairs have this variant of the shield-back.
- Herring-bone: An inlaid banding or border used in walnut veneered furniture for decorative effect. Also called 'feather-banding'. Made by laying two strips of veneer at right angles to each other in 'V form to give a feathered or herring-bone effect.
- Hieroglyphics: Pictorial script used by ancient Egyptians. One of the decorative motifs associated with the Egyptian Revival, popular during the 19th century.
- Highboy: Modern term for a high chest of drawers.
- Hipping: A form of cabriole leg extension used on rather better quality pieces, in which the leg continues at the top to a level above the seat rail.
- Hoof foot: An animal form of foot used on early, perhaps original, cabriole legs. The French name was pied-de-biche.
- Horseshoe seat: Roughly U-shaped outline of seat found on some Queen Anne style chairs.
- Huntboard: Form peculiar to the South, consisting of a tall table, sometimes with drawers, placed along a wall and used for the service of food and drink. When made as a case piece, also called hunt sideboard.
- Husk inlay: Another name for bellflower inlay used on Federal, Adam and Hepplewhite furniture.
