Antique Furniture Terms Explained
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- Kast: Distinctive cupboard based on Continental Dutch prototypes produced by settlers from the Lowlands and descendants, primarily in New York and New Jersey and on Long Island. It is a large wardrobe on bun or ball feet, with varying arrangements of fitted drawers and/or shelves inside, and with paneled doors. Kasten were made during much of the 18th and early 19th centuries with little variation in design and ornament.
- Kettle base: Convex or "blown-out" shape, so called because of its resemblance to a pot-bellied kettle. Also knownas bombé.
- Kettle stand: A small table designed to support a teapot or urn, usually having a pull shelf for holding teacup and saucer.
- Key plate: Also known as an escutcheon, the key plate is a protective metal piece which surrounds a keyhole and protects the wood from scratches.
- Klismos: A chair form designed by the ancient Greeks. Its tapering saber legs slope upward to the curved uprights and crest rail. Extremely popular form during the second and third phases of Classicism.
- Knuckled arm: Knuckle-shaped carving at the end of an arm. Often used on Queen Anne and Chippendale-style armchairs.
- Kylix: A term used in Greek pottery to denote a kind of drinking cup. Motif incorporated into backs of some Federal-periodchairs, particularly in Newport.
