Carlton Hobbs 9753

December 1 2009, 5:35pm

Term of the Day: Anthemion 12/1/09

Detail of a rosewood gilt-brass mounted and inlaid armchair probably by George Bullock.

An anthemion is a painted or sculptural ornament in the form of a palmette, often used as an acroterion or as a repeating motif on a cornice. The form was originally developed in ancient Greece as an adaptation of an ancient Egyptian design representing a lotus or a palm branch. The Greeks used it first as an ornament on pottery, and then on architecture, and it was later adopted by the Romans. In furniture, anthemia are most commonly found in pieces made in the neoclassical style.

To see more of this armchair, visit: http://www.carltonhobbs.com/viewDetail.asp?strReference=9753