Antique Furniture Terms Explained
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- Mammy's bench: Modern term for a rocking settee with a row of holes across one-half of the front of the seat, into which fits a short "fence" or "gate", thus safely accommodating a sleeping infant while an adult sits rocking the settee.
- Marlborough leg: A square leg, sometimes fluted and terminating in a blocked foot, first popular in the mid-18th century.
- Marquetry: Pictorial type of inlay using wood or other materials to decorate furniture. To be distinguished from inlays by the fact that design is veneered on to a carcase and not cut into the solid. Innovation of the William and Mary period.
- Marriage: In furniture study, the joining of two or more sections/of an object which were not part of the same object originally.
- Medallion: An ornamental motif of rounded, oval, or spherical shape.
- Méridienne: Reading or lounging sofa often of asymmetrical form. Classical and Rococo Revival preferred styles.
- Milk-bottle turning: Gourd-shaped turning preferred by New York woodworkers.
- Mixing table: Table with a stone top, such as marble or slate, used for preparing drinks.
- Mitre Joint: A joint made by fitting together two surfaces cut at an angle of 45°.
- Molding: A strip of wood used for ornamental trim.
- Monopodium: A carved support with a lion-mask top. The foot is usually of claw form and this type of support is often seen on Regency and Empire furniture.
- Morris chair: Low-seated, high-backed armchair with adjustable slanting back and loose pillows first made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company in London. Name refers to William Morris, the leader of the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Popular form during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Mortise-and-tenon joint: The tenon, or tablike projection, is fitted snugly into the mortise, a hole (usually square or rectangular) which has been chiseled to size. A peg holds both pieces together.
