History of Interior Design: Ancient Egypt
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Questions and Answers

What is a peristyle court?

  • A living room for social gatherings
  • An opening to allow rainwater to collect into the pool
  • A court surrounded by a covered walkway (correct)
  • A small recess or pool

    • Which material was not used in the construction of Greek furniture?

  • Plastic (correct)
  • Bronze
  • Marble
  • Iron

    • Which type of furniture had concave backs?

  • Stool
  • Threnys
  • Kathisma
  • Thronos (correct)

    • What is faience made of?

    <p>Powdered quartz and a vitreous paste</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term means 'trompe l'oeil'?

    <p>Opus sectile</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where would you typically find an impluvium in a Greek interior?

    <p>In a peristyle court</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What material were Egyptian houses and shops made of?

    <p>Sun-dried bricks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of clerestory windows in larger homes?

    <p>To provide natural lighting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which item of furniture is the most common in Egyptian households?

    <p>Stool</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were the legs of Egyptian furniture commonly modeled after?

    <p>Lion's paws or bull's hooves</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were Egyptian chests commonly used for?

    <p>Storing linen, cosmetics, and jewelry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What types of roofs did Egyptian houses and shops typically have?

    <p>Flat roofs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the 'Atrium' in a Roman house?

    <p>The roofed courtyard</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which Roman interior feature was specifically used for dining and reclining?

    <p>Triclinium</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a 'Compluvium'?

    <p>The large opening in the roof which lets in light and collects rain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which feature is located at the end of the atrium?

    <p>Tablinum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How were the floors of important rooms in Roman homes often decorated?

    <p>With mosaics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following was NOT typically part of Roman interior wall decoration?

    <p>Oil paintings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of furniture was the first chair with a cushion and originally a folding stool?

    <p>Curule</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What feature characterizes the Solium type of chair?

    <p>It has animal feet.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which feature was NOT commonly used on historical furniture?

    <p>Simple, undecorated designs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the defining characteristic of the 'Tripod' type of furniture?

    <p>It is a three-legged table.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of furniture is a chaise specifically designed for women?

    <p>Cathedra</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the name of the semi-circular reclining couch come from?

    <p>Lunate sigma</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What materials were used to inlay the elaborate chairs for the wealthy?

    <p>Gold and ivory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What kind of decorative item often tells a story of historical events in Romanesque interiors?

    <p>Tapestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is notable about the furniture used for ecclesiastical and domestic purposes during the Romanesque period?

    <p>There was no difference between ecclesiastical and domestic furniture pieces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What feature characterized the homes of the rich during the Byzantine period?

    <p>Open courtyards protected by a stone wall</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the primary function of an aumbry in the bedchamber?

    <p>Storing overnight ration of food and refreshment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What object is described as a sideboard for holding food?

    <p>Credence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of cupboard was made with stepped tiers for grandiose display?

    <p>Buffet</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the optional feature of a buffet that served as a status symbol?

    <p>Canopy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What items were kept in an aumbry besides the overnight ration of food?

    <p>Books, reliquaries, and oils</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the 'The Great Hall' principally used for?

    <p>Assemblies of vassals, banquets, trials, and entertainments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which item was not a common motif in the decorative elements?

    <p>X-shaped stool</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a 'Trestle table'?

    <p>A dining table which can be dismantled to make room space</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In VL Gothic interiors, what covered the floors?

    <p>Straw or leaves</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the purpose of tapestries after 1400?

    <p>To cover walls, decorate furniture, or partition rooms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is unique about the 'fold stool' or 'cathedra'?

    <p>It had an X-shaped design and was for women of implied authority</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the 'Chair of the Estate' reserved for?

    <p>The lord and master</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterized the construction of primitive dug-out type furniture?

    <p>It was made by hollowing out a log</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following was a characteristic of Italian Baroque interior treatment?

    <p>Great emphasis on fresco painting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which element was common in the furniture of Italian Rococo?

    <p>Much gilding was used</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following was NOT a feature of French Renaissance interior treatment?

    <p>Asymmetrical spacing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes the typical stairways in Italian Baroque interiors?

    <p>Gradual ascent with boldly conceived balustrade</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is 'quadratura' in the context of Italian Baroque interiors?

    <p>Painted illusionist architecture</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement is true regarding Italian Rococo furniture?

    <p>It often incorporated Chinoiserie.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of chair is specifically designed for women?

    <p>Sgabello</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which piece of furniture is an X-shaped chair named after a monk?

    <p>Savonarola</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which chair's design extends the front curule as arm supports and the back curule as uprights of the back?

    <p>Dante/Dantesque</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of furniture is a bed placed on a base, with a canopy and panelled footboard?

    <p>Letto</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which chair is similar to the Sgabello but features three splayed legs instead of two trestle supports?

    <p>Panchetto</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of ceiling treatment was commonly used in Italian Renaissance interiors?

    <p>Coffered and beamed ceilings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of furniture is a 'Cassone' known to be?

    <p>Marriage chest for the bride's trousseau</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of flooring was occasionally used in Italian Renaissance interiors?

    <p>Terrazzo floors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the High Renaissance period, which type of room was intended for meditation and study?

    <p>Studiolo</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were fireplaces in Italian Renaissance interiors typically ornamented with?

    <p>Mantles with bolection moldings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is 'cartouche' in the context of Italian Renaissance interiors?

    <p>A type of ceiling decoration</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of tiles were used for walls in Italian Renaissance interiors?

    <p>Majolica tiles</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of these types of carving was used in furniture decoration during the Italian Renaissance?

    <p>Incised carving</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    History of Interior and Furniture Design

    1. Egypt

    A. Interiors
    • Houses and shops were made of sun-dried bricks with flat roofs and small slit windows to keep the sun out.
    • Consisted of a small construction, large central living room, and 2-3 other rooms.
    • Stairs led to a roof.
    • Larger homes had clerestory windows under a roof raised above the house.
    • Floors were painted with special hard plaster with flowers, plants, birds, and fishes.
    • Ceilings were blue and brightly painted columns supported tiled roof.
    • White-washed interiors.
    B. Parts of a house
    • Loggia: a roofed gallery.
    • Portico: a roofed porch upheld by a column.
    • Tripartite plan: a plan consisting of a reception room, central hall/living room, and private areas.
    C. Furniture Elements
    • Bull's hooves or lion's paws for legs.
    • Lathe-turned parts with tongue and groove (T & G) construction.
    D. Furniture Types
    • Stool: the most common of Egyptian furniture, invented the collapsible stool.
    • Chest: an important part of Egyptian household collection, highly decorated, large ones for linen, and small ones for cosmetics and jewelry.
    • Rush/leather seats.
    • Varnish or gesso for finishing.
    • Tables: for eating, writing, and gaming.
    • Bed.
    • Chair: used by important people.

    Greek

    • Interiors: rooms around a court, the largest room was usually the most decorated.
    • Parts: atrium, peristyle court, compluvium, impluvium, living room, store rooms, kitchen, and bathroom.
    • Accessories: faience, made of powdered quartz and coated with a vitreous paste.

    Dining room (andron)

    • Interior treatment: walls, floors, pavement or mosaics, ceilings, and furniture elements.
    • Furniture elements: materials, dog's foot/lion's paw for legs, and concave backs.
    • Furniture types: stool, thronos, and threnos.

    Roman Interiors

    • Vestibule: entrance of the home.
    • Reception room: central hall of the house with an opening in the roof.
    • Atrium: the roofed courtyard.
    • Compluvium: the large opening in the roof which let in light and collected rain.
    • Impluvium: the water catcher.
    • Tablinum: located at the end of the atrium, this was the sacred area where the nuptial bed and dining table were kept.
    • Triclinium: the dining room with reclining couches.
    • Cubicula: small bedrooms.
    • Exedra: kitchen and used for conversations.
    • Peristyle court: the courtyard surrounding the garden.
    • Kline: bed or couch for eating during the day and sleeping at night.
    • Tripods: three-legged tables.
    • Chest: furniture for storing items.

    Roman Interior Design

    • Interior treatment: lavishly decorated, with a passion for luxurious materials, techniques, and illusionistic devices.
    • Floors: covered in mosaic tiles, particularly in important rooms.
    • Walls: adorned with stuccowork, frescoes, and trompe l'oeil.

    Furniture Elements

    • Rich fabrics and cushions.
    • Little underbracing for legs.
    • Designs were derived from Greek models.
    • Massive and elaborately decorated.
    • Turned legs, animal feet, sphinxes, and griffins were used.

    Furniture Types

    • Curule: the first chair with a cushion, an x-shaped chair originally a folding stool.
    • Bisellíum: double chair or settle.
    • Solium: throne chair for men, with an animal.
    • Cathedra: chaise for women.
    • Scamnum/subselium: bench.
    • Monopodium: table with a single column or support.
    • Tripod: three-legged table.

    Romanesque

    • Interior Accessories: tapestry, embroidery in wool-thread and usually tells a story of historical events.
    • Illuminated manuscripts.
    • Furniture characteristics: mostly ecclesiastical purposes, but there is no difference between ecclesiastical and domestic furniture pieces.
    • Furniture types: chest.

    Byzantine

    • Interiors: homes of the rich opened onto courtyards protected from the street by a stone wall.
    • Oriental rugs: very rare.
    • The Great Hall: principally used for the assemblies of vassals, banquets, trials, and entertainments.
    • Decorative motifs: arches, tracery, foliage, linen fold carving, pierced carving, and pointed arch.
    • Furniture elements: wooden construction, decorations were painted and then carved, and presence of Gothic motifs.
    • Furniture types: chest or coffer, stool, full-tester bed or four-poster bed, throne chair or "Chair of the Estate", and trestle table.

    VL Gothic

    • Interior treatment: walls, ceilings, and floors.
    • Tapestries: became famous after 1400 to cover walls, decorate furniture, or partition rooms.
    • Primitive dug-out type: made by hollowing out a log.
    • The ark: had a gabled detachable lid.
    • Dome type standard: a standard design.
    • Boarded type or six-plank chest: a type of chest.
    • The high hutch: a type of furniture.
    • Fold stool/cathedra: x-shaped stool for women with implied authority.
    • "Chair of the Estate": reserved for the lord and master.
    • Sella curulis: x-framed chair.

    Aumbry (later, livery cupboard)

    • Stood in the bedchamber to store overnight ration of food and refreshment.
    • Used to keep sacred vessels, books, reliquaries, and oils.

    Credence or serving table

    • A sideboard for holding food.

    Buffet/cupboard

    • A large construction of stepped tiers for grandiose display, the number of tiers being specified according to rank.

    Refectory Table

    • A long, narrow table having a single stretcher between trestle-like supports at the ends.

    Italian Renaissance

    • Interior Treatment: interiors consisted of smaller rooms, but larger in scale as compared to today's rooms.
    • Coffered and beamed ceilings, and flat plaster ceilings were also used.
    • Pilasters, niche, and large paintings were incorporated into the architectural design.
    • Majolica tiles were used for walls.
    • Windows were either square-headed or topped with a pediment.
    • Black-and-white, colored, or terrazzo floors were used, with occasional Oriental rugs.
    • Fireplaces were ornamented with mantles, and bolection moldings were typical.
    • Cartouche: a medallion or coat of arms often decorating the ceiling.
    • Furniture was used sparingly.

    Furniture Elements

    • Monumental in character.
    • Upholstered seats.
    • Ornamented nail heads used with leather upholstery.
    • Gesso-painted or gilded.
    • Furniture decoration included certosina, intarsia, incised carving, chip carving, and pastiglia.

    Furniture Types

    • Cassone (marriage chest): often made in pairs, to contain the bride's trousseau.
    • Cassapanca: a large cassone with back and arms added to form a settee or sofa.
    • Credenza (sideboard): sideboards with boards often surmounted by drawers intended for the storage of linen, dishes, and silverware.

    Italian Baroque

    • Interior Treatment: grand proportions of rooms, great emphasis on fresco painting, carved woodwork in paint or gold, quadratura, floors, walls, windows, and doors.

    Furniture Elements

    • Spanish influence was evident in the black and white cabinets produced in Italy.

    Italian Rococo

    • Furniture Elements: proportions were usually awkward, much gilding was used, lacquer was employed, and chinoiserie was used.
    • Furniture Types: Venetian mirror, 3-paneled with etches or frosted glass.

    French Renaissance

    • Interior Treatment: emphasis on symmetry, rectangular plans, and uniform spacing.
    • Furniture:
    • Sedia: armchair for men.
    • Sgabello: light wooden chair for women.
    • Savonarola: x-shaped chair named after a monk.
    • Dante/Dantesque: usually of tooled leather, curule in front extend as arm supports while the curule at the back extended as uprights of the back.
    • Panchetto: similar to the sgabello but had three splayed leg instead of two trestle supports.
    • Letto: bed with massive structure placed on a base, a canopy, and panelled footboard.

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    Description

    Explore the ancient Egyptian interior design principles, including house construction, room layout, and decorative elements. Learn about the use of sun-dried bricks, flat roofs, and clerestory windows.

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