What’s Fretwork?
A question posed to me by someone in my inner circle and I thought that was a sign to post something more specific about the subject rather than images alone….(image of pillows is from WestElm.com).
The New York Times described it as: FRETWORK, the open geometric ornamentation found on Chinese antiques, has influenced Western furniture design for centuries.
From Answers.com: Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, jigsaw or scrollsaw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn furniture and musical instruments. The term is also used for tracery on glazed windows and doors. Fretwork is also used to adorn/decorate architecture, where specific elements of decor are named according to their use. eg. Eave Bracket, Gable Fretwork, Baluster Fretwork. Any item that is cut out is considered fretwork, although popular usage creates an exception to this rule; when the architectural element is not actually physically cut out, such as reproduction plastic moulded fretwork it is called fretwork, however it was not ‘cut out’ with a fretsaw, jigsaw or scrollsaw so it is technically incorrect. Nor are elements such as a carved corbel considered to be fretwork, even if the initial crafting of the item included using a cut out technique
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“fretwork.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 29 Aug. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/fretwork
I thought this image from House of Fretworks in Australia showed how the Edwardian and Victorian era used fretwork (and is now happily reproduced today for effect, both inside and outside).
My takeaway on this is that depending upon the period you are talking about the fretwork will have a more specific influence….Asian or Victorian. But from a big picture point of view, detail is the trend and shows up as a consequence of our focus on folk art and/or cultural artisans influences.
