Unknown Artist
Primary

Octagonal Inlaid Tabouret

16 3/4 in. x 13 in. x 13 7/8 in. (42.55 cm x 33.02 cm x 35.24 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• bone - The rigid, calcareous material that is white in color and forms the skeleton of vertebrates; primarily composed of calcium hydroxyapatite with smaller amounts of calcium carbonate, calcium fluoride, magnesium phosphate, and ossein, a high molecular weight protein. Bones have a concentric structure with central lymphatic canals surrounded by a spongy lamellar region protected by a dense outer cortex. Bone has been carved and used since ancient times for many purposes, including fish-hooks, spear heads, needles, handles, and art objects. Bones were also burnt to produce bone black and boiled to produce bone glue. Bone can be distinguished from ivory by being generally whiter, more porous, and less dense.
• inlay - Any process by which small pieces of one material are inserted into a larger piece of another so as to create a design.
• ivory - The modified form of dentin derived from animal teeth. The most common example is from the tusks of mature elephants; similar material is obtained from any tusked or large-toothed mammal such as a walrus or narwhal.
• tabourets - Refers to low seats or stools, without back or arms, often used for a child or as a footstool. It was originally in the shape of a drum, thus the name (from the diminutive of the French "tambour," for drum). In the 18th century the term was applied to any low stool with fixed upright legs, as distinct from "pliants," which had folding crossed legs. 18th-century tabourets were rectangular, not drum-shaped, with upholstered seats. For similar seats supported on six or more legs, use "banquettes (benches)."
• teak - Wood of the species Tectona grandis, native to south and southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar; it is cultivated in many additional areas, including Africa and the Caribbean. Teak is a golden brown wood with a straight grain and coarse texture, very resistant to insects and decay. It is used for high quality furniture, boxes, chests, doors, shipbuilding, railway carriages, veneer, and in India also for building houses. Teak wood retains an aromatic leathery smell for over a hundred years or more.

This object is a member of the following portfolios: