Jardinière is the French word for a decorative planter to hold flowers or plants. For the most part, they were used inside a home. Jardinières range from the very simple in design and style to quite elaborate.

 

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.

 

Bronze d'oré, also known as ormolu or gilt bronze, was a decorative finish used on luxury furnishings in the 18th and 19th centuries. An application of finely ground high carat gold and mercury amalgam was placed on objects of bronze. When subjected to extremely high heat, the mercury evaporated, leaving behind a lustrous coating of gold.

 

Gilt-bronze trim was used to protect furniture from damage and to emphasize form, and to mount beautiful objects such as candelabra, clocks, lamps, pedestals and porcelain vases.