Marquetry

Marquetry, as well as marquetry, inlaid wood or other materials. If the term intarsia is more common, so one must not confuse the two terms yet: While the intarsia technique thin material plates are incorporated in solid wood, the artisans adds marquetry only thin materials, mostly veneer together.

History

With marquetry, originally the French meaning for marquetry, fancy furniture or wall coverings were decorated centuries ago. First, there are examples from the 15th century in Italy. Often expensive, exotic woods were used for the in the 17th century refined and popular technique. In contrast to the inlaid marquetry is prefabricated as a whole and glued on the cheap wood blind. Therefore, this is not like the inlay to a inlaid wood, shell, metal or the like, but a veneer technology.

Parketerie ( = Tarsia Geometrica ) is the oldest and simplest of the decorative veneer techniques technically, this geometrically identical pieces of contrasting veneer are processed in the form of a mosaic. Boulle marquetry, Tarsia a Incastro, later named after André -Charles Boulle (1642-1732), is a development that grew in importance with the introduction of "Hardwood blade ". Generally it is between two design techniques to distinguish, the marquetry of the contre- partie and partie - première.

The then produced, about 3 mm thick veneers were outstandingly suitable for making marquetry and inlays, the (sort of fretwork ) were cut in sawing technology. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the craft reached a particularly high level in the periods of the Baroque and Rococo.

Nowadays, exotic woods are imported in many styles and colors and very thin veneers processed (up to about 1 mm thickness), from which the marquetry can be cut both with a knife, and with a coping saw.

Marquetry technique

Most today the knife technique is applied. Marquetry always begin with the often very complex design of a motif, the position is related to the types, colors and textures of available veneers. The craftsman needs to a large stock as possible and different colored grained veneers. It handles both veneers simply grown wood, as well as those with pronounced grain, such as those can be cut from the root areas of a tree trunk.

The designs can be cut directly with the knife after the drawing, you can assign color and grain of each individual. The newly cut items are always the same composition and with special tape, called the joint tape, fixed. On the back of the picture is the wrong way to recognize at this stage. Small errors can now be corrected. Then, the marquetry on a suitably prepared base plate, eg Chipboard, blockboard or plywood, with the tape side is glued to the top.

After the curing of the glue, the adhesive tape are ground. For this purpose, a certain finesse is necessary so that the thin layer of veneer is not looped through. Finally, the carefully and finely ground surfaces still get a surface treatment which stimulates the colors and textures of wood. The specialist calls " cheer" for that. Is suitable for this particular polishing with shellac polish, a solution of shellac and high-proof alcohol.