Carved Foliate Heart Onlay

A softly swelling acanthus ornament that reads as both a leaf and a heart. The piece is a symmetrical carved onlay: a plump, heart-shaped central lobe scored with radiating ribs and a slender teardrop hollow at its core, flanked by two tight side scrolls that roll outward like curled fronds. From there a fluted stem sweeps down and blooms into a small five-petal fan at the foot. It's classic furniture-maker's foliage — the kind of applied ornament you'd find crowning a mirror, a bed panel, or the apron of a dresser. The modelling is generous and rounded, so it throws a soft shadow rather than a hard one. Use it as a raised appliqué glued to a flat panel, a drop below a cornice, or a repeated motif down a pilaster. It pairs naturally with the scroll molding in the same style if you're dressing a whole cabinet. Print / cut notes: • This is a relief onlay with an undercut-free back, so it machines cleanly face-up; rough with a 6mm ball-nose, finish with a 2mm ball for the rib detail. • Keep the deepest hollow (the central teardrop) within your bit's reach or it will read flat — a tapered finishing pass helps. • Resin printing captures the ribbing best; if using FDM, orient the flat back to the plate and expect light sanding on the domed leaf. • A coat of sanding sealer before paint or gilding stops the softwood fuzzing along the flutes.