Crafts

People

London silversmith, said to be one of England's finest: took over the family business following the death of her husband John in 1760; retired in 1790, and was succeeded by her sons Peter and Jonathan; the company closed in 1843		Hester Bateman
English furniture maker (1718–79): work characterised by the use of Chinese and Gothic motifs, cabriole legs, and massive carving; became renowned on the success of a book of his designs, published in a trade catalogue in 1754, entitled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Directory (cf. Hepplewhite, Sheraton)		Thomas Chippendale
Ceramic artist, born Tunstall, Staffs 1899; active 1922–63; famous for her brightly–coloured Art Deco designs, often under the generic name 'Bizarre Ware'		Clarice Cliff
Russian jeweller: famous for the ornamental easter eggs commissioned by Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II, as gifts for their wives and mothers, from 1885 to 1917; the company was founded in St. Petersburg in 1842 by his father, Gustav (a German immigrant from what is now Estonia)		Peter Carl Fabergé faberge
18th–century furniture maker, based in Lancaster; company merged with Waring of Liverpool in 1903		Robert Gillow
Tapestry factory in Paris, founded in the 16th century – named after the family that founded the business – gave its name to the nearby Metro station		Gobelins
English furniture maker (1727–86): work characterised by lightness, grace, and curved lines, including oval and shield–shaped open chair backs (cf. Chippendale, Sheraton)		George Hepplewhite
French glass designer, 1860–1945, founded a firm that is still active		René Lalique
English potter: founded an earthenware factory in Stoke–on–Trent in 1793; was in partnership with Joseph Poulson from c. 1796, but carried on alone following Poulson's death in 1808; produced standard domestic tableware, but is most closely associated with the willow pattern		Thomas Minton
Began as a designer for Staffordshire pottery manufacturers James Macintyre & Co. Ltd., Stoke–on–Trent, in 1897; made his name with Florian Ware; set up his own company and factory in Burslem, 1912, after Macintyre's closed down his studio; closely associated with the London store Liberty; influenced by art nouveau		William Moorcroft
Last of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century (after Chippendale and Hepplewhite): born in Stockton–on–Tees in 1751, gave his name to a feminine refinement of late Georgian styles		Thomas Sheraton
Produced the first bone china, by adding bone ash to his porcelain mix, c. 1800		Josiah Spode
Furniture maker, based in Kilburn, North Yorkshire: inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement; nicknamed Mouseman, because almost all of his pieces included a carved mouse; died in 1955, since when his workshop has been operated by his descendants		Robert Thompson
Arguably the most famous potter of all time: born Burslem, Staffordshire, in 1730; set up in business in 1754, established the Etruria Works in 1769 (named after a region of ancient Italy, known for its artistic products); had his first major commercial success with Black Basalt ware, inspired by Etruscan archaeological finds; had his leg amputated, probably as a result of a childhood smallpox episode which affected his knee; persuaded Queen Charlotte to let him name a range of pottery that she had bought "Queen's Ware"; made the Green Frog Service for Empress Catherine of Russia, now on display in the Hermitage Museum, in 1774; most famous today for jasperware, with overlaid white decoration on a variety of colours, the best–known of which is pale blue. Grandfather of Charles Darwin (his daughter married the son of Erasmus Darwin), and great–great–grandfather of Ralph Vaughan Williams. A prominent anti–slavery campaigner, he produced the famous medallion with the inscription "Am I not a man and a brother?" in 1787. Died in 1795 aged 64		Josiah Wedgwood

Other

1920s and 30s: style characterised by geometrical form and bright metal surfaces		Art deco
Type of wood from which snooker, billiard and pool cues are traditionally made		Ash
Short, pointed tool used by a shoemaker to make holes in leather		Awl
Producing designs on cloth by waxing areas not to be dyed (Indonesia etc.)		Batik
Pottery that is fired but not glazed		Biscuitware
Travelling pedlar who turned beech wood to make chairs, etc.		Bodger
Japanese art of growing miniature trees		Bonsai
A brooch or ring with a portrait carved in relief		Cameo
Glazing putty is traditionally made from		Chalk ('whiting')
Glazing putty is traditionally made from		Linseed oil
Type of yarn, or the fabric made from it, whose name is French for a caterpillar (because it resembles the hairy variety)		Chenille
Chinese technique of soldering metal outlines onto a metal surface and filling the resultant cells with vitreous enamel paste		Cloisonné
Porcelain brand, named after the new village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire where it was produced from about 1795 to 1926, when it moved to Staffordshire; in 1967 it became part of the Wedgwood group		Coalport
Jigger, buzz, flagging iron, round shaver, adze, mallet: used by a		Cooper
Red glass made by adding gold salts or colloidal gold to molten glass (a.k.a. gold ruby glass)		Cranberry glass
To dress tanned leather – also to rub down and dress a horse		Curry
Type of fabric (silk, wool, linen, cotton or synthetic) named after a Middle Eastern capital city		Damask
André Planché, a Huguenot immigrant from Saxony, founded a porcelain factory around 1750 which has been known ever since for its fine bone china, in (English midland town – a city since 1977)		Derby
Used to hold the unspun fibres, in spinning (the spindle holds the spun yarn)		Distaff
Coloured, powdered glass, fixed to a metal surface by firing		Enamel
Prattware, majolica		Enamelled pottery
The burin is the essential tool used in		Engraving
The part of a watch or clock that measures beats and controls the speed of the part that advances the hands; also the mechanism that regulates the motion of a typewriter carriage, and the mechanism in a piano that causes a hammer to fall back into rest position immediately after striking a string		Escapement
The process of using chemicals (traditionally a strong acid or mordant) to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal		Etching
Knitting style said to originate from survivors of the Spanish Armada; popularised in the 1920s by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), but later became a subject for mild ridicule, e.g. by Monty Python's Gumbys		Fair Isle
Drawing knife, driving hammer, pincers, pritchell: used by a		Farrier
Ornaments of fine gold, silver or copper wire, twisted into patterns		Filigree
Ikebana is the Japanese art of; Rikka is a more sophisticated style, now obsolete		Flower arranging
Bookbinding: discoloration of pages (typically in spots) caused by chemical changes in the paper – name taken from the characteristic reddish–brown colour		Foxing
Embroidery stitch where the thread is wound round the needle and re–threaded through the same point		French knot
Solution of shellac in alcohol (or meths) used by furniture makers		French polish
Knitting ("in the flat"): all rows knitted, or (less commonly) all purled. (cf. Stocking stitch)		Garter stitch
Designed and manufactured in the late 19th century by J. G. Beard, at his leather shop in the City of Westminster; named by Beard after a former prime minister, of whom he was a great admirer		Gladstone bag
Millefiori ornaments are made from		Glass
Collects a gob on the end of a punty		Glassblower
'Parison' and 'marver' are terms used in		Glassblowing
George Ravenscroft was a 17th–century pioneer in the import, export and manufacture of		Glassware
Sans–serif typeface, developed in 1957 by the Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger		Helvetica
Coarse fabric, usually made from jute or hemp, traditionally used to make sacks; known in the USA and Canada as burlap		Hessian
Violin bows: strung with		Horse hair
English name for a type of pocket watch that has a cover to protect the watch face		Hunter
Incised carving (opposite of cameo)		Intaglio
Wedgwood's most famous line, with a white design in relief on a background most famously of pale blue		Jasperware
Japanese art of folding and cutting paper (cf. Origami)		Kirigami
Garter, stocking, rib and cable are types of		Knitting stitch
Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium, and Honiton (Devon) and Nottingham in England, are famous for making		Lace
Mechlin Lappet, Venetian rose–point, Genoese, Old Honiton, Modern Duchesse: types of		Lace
Applying layers of sap (from the Rhus verniciflua tree) to wooden artefacts		Lacquering
Cutting, polishing and engraving stones (especially precious ones) – also someone who does it		Lapidary
A cordwainer traditionally works (or worked) with		Leather
Printing process, invented in 1796 by the German author and actor Alois Senefelder: involves drawing the image on a surface using a water–resistant substance (traditionally oil, fat, or wax on stone; in modern times a polymer coating on metal); name is derived from the Greek word for stone		Lithography
London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds (almost all of which are styled the "Worshipful Company of ... " the relevant craft, trade or profession)		Livery companies
More correct name for a grandfather clock		Long case clock
Name for a craftsman who made small metal objects, including equestrian hardware such as bits and spurs		Lorimer
Craft of knotting cord or string in patterns to make decorative items		Macramé
Principal wood in which Chippendale worked		Mahogany
Earthenware decorated with brightly–coloured glaze and fired for a second time; named (via Italian) after the Mediterranean island where it was first imported from trhe Middle East		Majolica
Decorating furniture by inlaying coloured woods in the surface		Marquetry
Town near Dresden, in eastern Germany, famous for its fine porcelain (marked with a crossed swords motif) – including the so–called Dresden porcelain		Meissen
Substance used to set (i.e. bind) dyes on fabrics (also known as a dye fixative)		Mordant
Pale yellowish cloth, named after the city in China where it was originally made from a yellow variety of cotton – used for example to make trousers in the early 19th century (subsequently manufactured from ordinary cotton that is then dyed)		Nankeen
Japanese art of carving delicate ornaments, hung from a sash, used to carry things in (instead of pockets) – traditionally, most often from ivory		Netsuke
Japanese art of folding paper without cutting (cf. Kirigami)		Origami
An amalgam of gold and mercury, applied to bronze artefacts to imitate gold; or (more recently) an alloy of copper and zinc (sometimes with the addition of tin) used for the same purpose; or any gilt metal or imitation gold		Ormolu
Textile pattern, originally from Kashmir, but named after the Scottish town where it was copied		Paisley
Material for writing on, made from processed animal skin (most commonly calfskin, sheepskin, or goatskin): its name evolved (via Latin and French) from the name of the city of Pergamon, which was a thriving centre of its production during the Hellenistic period (but not, contrary to legend, where it was invented)		Parchment
'Screever' is a term used in Britain for a		Pavement artist
Stitching on canvas with more than 22 holes per inch (hpi – in practice, more than 18 hpi)		Petit–point
Printing: twelve points make one		Pica
Famous Roman cameo glass vase, believed to date to the time of Jesus, housed in the British museum since 1810: famously smashed by impoverished Irish student William Lloyd (real name probably Mulcahy) in 1845		Portland Vase
Raku is a traditional Japanese technique, used in the field of		Pottery
Type of earthenware, decorated in relief, named after a family of Staffordshire potters working in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries		Prattware
Knitting: the basic alternative to a knit (or plain) stitch: when the yarn is passed through the previous loop from above, instead of from below		Purl
English furniture style of 1700–20 (USA 1720–70), characterised by unencumbered curves, walnut veneer and the cabriole leg		Queen Anne
American pottery style of soft cream or yellow ware, dipped or spattered with a brown glaze before firing		Rockingham ware
Jute, coir, manila, flax: used by a		Rope–maker
Container used to protect delicate pottery in the kiln – a corruption of 'safeguard'		Saggar
Things carved (generally by sailors) from seashells, bone or ivory		Scrimshaw
A cordwainer, traditionally, made		Shoes
Satin was originally woven from		Silk
Applying adhesive paste to a wall before papering		Sizing
Mixture of clay and water, used in ceramics (for various purposes, including decoration)		Slip
Maiden, mother–of–all, footman: parts of a		Spinning wheel
Knitting ("in the flat"): knitting and purling alternate rows		Stocking stitch
Processing animal skins to make leather		Tanning
Technique for crafting a particularly durable type of lace by hand, using a series of knots and loops – often thought to refer to lace–making in general		Tatting
Needlework: the simplest and most versatile needlepoint stitch		Tent stitch
Type of earthenware: name is Italian for 'cooked earth'; typically brownish–red in colour due to the iron content of the clay		Terracotta
Word used by potters for the act of creating a pot on a wheel		Throwing
Created for the Times newspaper in 1932 by Victor Lardent, under the direction of Stanley Morison		Times New Roman font
As opposed to a blacksmith, who works principally with iron, a whitesmith works principally with		Tin
Clipping living plants into ornamental shapes		Topiary
Small objects made of wood – term introduced in the 1960s by collector Edward Pinto		Treen
Fine parchment made from the skin of a lamb, calf or kid, used as paper and in bookbinding: since 1850, Acts of Parliament have been printed on		Vellum
Italy's Amati family (Cremona, ~ 1550 – 1700) were famous for making		Violins
A wainwright was someone who made		Wagons (carts)
Stick shuttle or boat shuttle: used by a		Weaver
Kalsomine and calcimine are alternative names for; distemper is an early form of		Whitewash
Most popular of various Chinese–inspired landscape patterns used on domestic housewares; probably created for Spode around 1790, but also closely associated with Thomas Minton		Willow pattern

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