A bouillotte table is a small, round French accent table from the late 18th-century Louis XVI period, specifically designed for playing "bouillotte," a fast-paced gambling card game.

 

Satinwood, also known as yellow wood, was a very expensive tropical hardwood with a glossy finish. It was used in fine cabinetwork and decorative veneers. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, satinwood was in vogue.  Its light tones provided a perfect canvas for veneers or painting.  Native to India, Sri Lanka and parts of the Caribbean, it is still available today as a luxury wood item.

 

Marquetry is an ancient decorative technique where thin sheets of material, called veneer, are glued on to the surface of furniture.  Veneers were mostly fine wood (shell and sometimes ivory were also used) and once cut and put together, created patterns, designs or pictures – almost like painting with wood on wood. Marquetry differs from inlay in that veneers are glued to the surface, whereas inlays are created by cutting in the main surface of the wood and filling in the recesses.  The practice of marquetry originated in ancient Egypt, was later adopted by the Romans, and continued to further develop in the17th - 19th centuries in Europe, becoming a hallmark of the style and elegance of European design.