Linenfold is a form of carved decoration on wooden panels that imitates vertically folded or pleated linen cloth. Each panel is carved in relief with a series of parallel ridges running from top to bottom, finished at each end with curled or scalloped edges that suggest the hem of draped fabric.
The motif is generally thought to have originated in Flanders in the fifteenth century and spread to England, where it was popular from the late fifteenth to the mid sixteenth century, particularly in the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. It was used for oak wall panelling, doors, chests, coffers, aumbries, cupboards and church furnishings such as pews and screens. Linenfold was revived enthusiastically in the Victorian period and again in the early twentieth century, when it was much used in Tudor-style libraries, halls and offices. Distinguishing original carving from later work depends on the character of the oak, the depth and irregularity of the tool marks and the construction of the surrounding framing. Salvaged panels are still widely reused to line rooms or to make up cupboards and screens.
