Marquetry: a love affair with wood
I am sure you have all seen amazingly detailed depictions of flowers, leaves, animals and landscapes on fine antique wood furniture that is entirely rendered in wood. This is the art of Marquetry, or “Painting in Wood” which is the partial or full coverage of a surface of a board or furniture with veneer in the form of a skillfully applied design. (This is different from Inlay, which is the insertion of thin pieces of contrasting wood veneer, ivory, brass, copper, or tortoiseshell into a solid wood background.)
Marquetry themes depict anything from still life arrangements to figurative compositions. Due to the intricate and non-uniform nature of marquetry works, they are are mostly used in smaller works or are made a focal point within a larger overall composition. Marquetry is an old process that dates back thousands of years. It is a popular way to decorate furniture. The term comes from an old French word ‘marqueter,’ which means to variegate.
Marquetry has from a very long period been perceived as a standout among the most appealing and modern methods of decorating fine furniture. Marquetry is a process of creating patterns and designs on objects like furniture using thin veneers or layers of materials like hardwood, shell or ivory. Pieces are cut and fitted together to form a very decorative flat surface image.This art of making sculptural ornaments in a wooden object creates undeniable beautiful forms and shapes. It is a meticulous, creative task requiring a lot of aesthetic sense and patience . Balancing, between a classic natural look and textures, to highly polished and coloured versions, wood veneers being the main raw material chosen by the artisans.
Artists do marquetry by cutting, fitting and gluing pieces into a pre-planned pattern. The artist draws a pattern that identifies the shapes that will form the image and then chooses different types and colors of hardwood or other materials that he or she will use. The variety of materials available today is endless. In wood, dark shades come from trees like mahogany, ebony macassar and walnut while light colors come from ash and sycamore.
The artist might also choose specific woods for their distinctive grains or patterns. It is generally agreed that marquetry consists of inlay work, and strictly speaking only inlays made of wood can be designated as such, although inlays of other materials are generally also referred to as marquetry. When we talk about wood inlays we are generally referring to marquetry.
This is the most common technique of wood inlay work, which is created with high-quality veneers that are glued on to a wooden base.When the pattern is finished, the veneers are gently sanded so they are level with each other, and then a clear, protective finish like varnish is often applied.
The varnish also accentuates the colours of the marquetry panel, allowing them to stand out against each other. Marquetry compositions are fragile, even when glued together, and so must be affixed onto a more sturdy surface with glue. They are often stuck onto a piece of furniture or a wooden panel that serves as a canvas.
Marquetry is labour intensive and requires a high level of craftsmanship to complete, and this is why it has long been considered one of the most important woodwork techniques.
Marquetry work that we generally see around us ,was introduced in England at the restoration of Charles II, 1630–1685, Costly items of superb floral marquetry were created for the English taste. Popular forms were cabinets and longcase clock cases.
Its more like putting together a “puzzle” of great complexity, since many pieces of wood veneers which are are usually less than 1 mm thick.
This work has a challenge of how the different colours and the veins of wood veneers must be properly oriented to form mosaic pattern that will end up giving rise to a piece of furniture of great aesthetic and decorative value. For this reason, the work is done on a smooth surface of minimum thickness, which is then pasted on the furniture that needs to be decorated. Marquetry technique is employed to create flat ornamental designs in wood, with the main difference being what is depicted in these decorative features more like marquetry is used to create pictures in wood.
Marquetry’ work was rare in England until the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, 1533–1603, but had been practiced in Italy in the 16th century when hardstone inlays were highly fashionable. This technique was generally known in England as ‘Pietra Dura’, Italian for ‘hard stone’. It could be claimed that the Romans were the initiators of ‘marquetry’ work in their ancient mosaics and marble floors.
Most early inlay was geometric. Shaped marquetry came later. As such, marquetry differed substantially from inlay in that the design was essentially completed before being attached to the end piece of furniture, rather than being used as an element within the end piece. The earliest known example of marquetry (1563) is from Breslau, Germany.
Patterns and Designs
Many patterns and decorations can be done with marquetry. Skilled artists can create beautiful patterns through varying the colors, textures and grains of hardwoods. Sometimes they also incorporate other substances.
A style of marquetry known as Boulle marquetry was popular in France in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It used brass, tortoise shell, and mother-of-pearl on elaborate furniture pieces. It was created by a French cabinet maker named Andre-Charles Boulle, who raised marquetry to a sophisticated art. By 1672, he was a highly sought-after artist who was working in the royal workshop of King Louis XIV.
It is amazing to know that these gorgeous pieces of furniture art are still available and are in beautiful condition. The talented artisans responsible for creating them would be proud to know that their fine marquetry not only continues to be appreciated but is also used and enjoyed in the 21st Century!
