“Pictures in Wood”

“… it has at its heart the attempt to pull recalcitrant matter together in a unified pattern”

Glenn AdamsonHead of Graduate Studies and Deputy Head of ResearchVictoria and Albert Museum, London

Goal of Presentation

• Provide you with an overview of the historic timeline of “pictures in wood”

• Wow you with the fabulous works from others

• Explain the different methods and related techniques

• Get you excited about what you can do with a handful of tools, an ounce of skill and a heart full of desire

On finding references…

• At the end of this presentation I list the references I used– There was only one book “A Marquetry

Odyssey” – Silas Kopf – that provided any detailed background on the history of the various intarsia methods and it was far from chronological

– I am very interested in a better reference if any of you know of one

In the beginning God created wood

• The earliest works found date back to the 10 century BC in Egypt

• Various authors argued as to whether the method used was “intarsia” or “inlay”

• Few items survived the 5000 yrs since the first dynasty Egypt – best works preserved from Tutankhamen’s tomb

Coffer from Tutankhamen’s Tomb

Tools of the Trade

Tut’s Ceremonial Chair

Greece

• Very little survived from areas, but it is clear that the Mycenean culture (same time frame as Egypt) produced furniture with ebony and ivory inlay

• Iron tools were introduced by the time of classical Greece (500 BC), which greatly improved productivity and made wood inlay available to a broader class

Roman

• The Roman’s greatly admired the Greek culture and incorporated its aesthetic into their own culture

• Xylotarsia (latin) – mosaic wood decoration: – Sectile tarsia: polygons of contrasting woods

inserted into another wood (INLAY)– Pictorial tarsia: different species of veneer cut

out and pieced together to form a picture (MARQUETRY)

Italy – the Spread of Intarsia and the Birth of Marquetry

• The regional center of Tuscany, Siena became the focal point for intarsia in the 1300s

• Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, many Italian artist/craftsmen emerged

• The fame of Italian intarsiatori spread across Europe

• Records show that in 1532 Augsburg Germany had become a center for wood working

• The invention of the “fretsaw” blade is attributed to a German clock maker.– This invention greatly enhanced the art of Marquetry

Intarsia Panels – 1500 Italy

German Intarsia

France

• By the 16th / 17th century furniture craftsmen had made their way to the French capitol

• The French developed two words (later guilds) to define a cabinet maker: – ebeniste: specialized in working with veneers

primarily of ebony (hence the name)– Menuisier: specialed in working with solid

wood

Sawing Veneers• Since the 14th century veneers were sawn by two men

guiding a saw through a log mounted in a frame– In the time of Louis XIV: thickness 3mm to 4mm– By the time of Louis XV: thickness 2.5mm to 3mm– By Louis XVI: thickness was an accurate 2.25mm

Early American Furniture Makers Embraced Marquetry

• 1800 Nathan Lombard, 1850 Peter Glass, 1900 Gustav Stickely, 1990 Silas Kopf

Confused Americans

• A jump forward in time.• The infamous Judy Gale Roberts – starts a

renewed interest in Intarsia– As a young artist she started creating pictures in

wood, but did not know what Intarsia was or that it was as old as the tree

– At some point while showing some of her works, someone pointed out that what she was doing was the ancient art form of Intarsia

– Her many books and patterns have helped drive much renewed interest in Intarsia as a craft

What are all of these techniques?

• Intarsia– Inlay of different species of wood that can be of different thicknesses

and carved to provide depth• Marquetry

– The inlay of veneers of the same thickness to form a picture. Sand shading is used to provide depth.

• Parquetry– A form a marquetry that uses contrasting geometric shapes to form

patterns• Boulle

– A form of marquetry where two contrasting materials are cut simultaneously and then having their parts exchanged to provide a contrasted picture

• Stringing / Banding (Tarsia a Toppo)– Simple geometric patterns that are combined into a pattern to be inlayed

as a pattern

Intarsia

• A series of thin wood planks are stacked with alternating grain directions and then cut using a pattern as a guide

• The pieces are then interchanged and shaped (sanded / carved) to form the picture

• The pieces are then glued to or inlayed into a substrate

• Thick intarsia pieces can be cut using a piece by piece method

Intarsia Rose

Double-bevel Inlay using the Scroll Saw

• By tilting (left/right) the table of the scroll saw and cutting a pattern in a continuous direction (clockwise / counterclockwise) onto a stack of two layers, one layer can be inlayed into another with no gap

Stringing / Banding

• Key to the Federal period of American furniture design– Steve Latta does Federal period restoration and worked with Lie-

Nielson to develop a series of inlay tools

Choosing Substrates for Maquetry

• Solid wood, Plywood, MDF, Particle Board, Lumber Core, Torsion Box

• Choosing the right substrate depends on the application and desired end properties of a design– I would not use MDF on a design meant to

last for a 100 yrs– Solid wood substrates need to be stable

Basic Tools

• Sharp knife (exact-o), cutting mat, fretsaw, veneer tape, masking tape, metal straight edge, glue, sand paper, chisels, & clamps

• Other tools that extend capabilities: scroll saw, band saw, vacuum press, veneer saw, dremel tool, carving tools …

Summary

• With only a few tools, some veneer and an inexpensive substrate a craftsmen can get started in creating some exciting works of art

• Marquetry can greatly enhance the beauty and value of a piece of furniture

• Many wood species are becoming harder to get if not already extinct

References

• A Marquetry Odyssey by Silas Kopf• The Art of Marquetry by Craig Vandall Stevens• Veneering and Inlay by Jonathan Benson• The Marquetry Cource by Jack Metcalfe and

John Apps• The Art on Inlay by Larry Robinson• The Art of Wood Inlay by Geroge Stevens• www.too-many-to-list