Marquetry in America: a Beautifully Evolved European Legacy

Decorating with wood is the best possible way to describe the art of Marquetry. Wooden surfaces of objects are adorned in an ornamental way with veneers. Multi-colored veneers are cut into different shapes and sizes and are then glued onto wooden surfaces in some decorative designs.

For centuries now, the art of Marquetry has been used to beautify wooden furniture and ornamental objects made of wood. This was a popular art form in Europe since the 17th century. American Marquetry is inspired by its European counterpart.

German immigrants brought this art form to America in the 19th century. It was vastly different from the mechanized form of the wood industry then. Some unimaginably beautiful pieces of wood work were created with a few hand tools and glue.

Americans began to take to Marquetry closer to the time of the Civil War. The obsession with Marquetry then continued to a decade shy of century. On closer examination of the pieces created then, it is clear that locally available woods like cherry and maple were opted for.

Mahogany and other such exotic woods were imported. Americans took to enhancing pieces of Marquetry by staining wood for added color. The number of patterns that thus became possible were quite limitless.

There was a huge range available that included simple geometric patterns and the more complex ones that resembled paintings. Steam powered saw mills came to America in 1830. An inch of wood could now be cut into as fine as 15 to 20 layers each.

Most wood workers however, preferred to do things by hand despite such developments in technology. When Marquetry debuted in America it was inspired mainly by European styles. But the elaborateness of design was not something the Americans included.

American Marquetry in the early days was propagated mainly by the cabinet makers of Boston and some other artisans who assisted them. Till the end of the World Wars, Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance as well as Louis the XV styles were popular. Post the World Wars, a lot of the Art Deco style was adopted.

Remy Vriz, in the 1980s created a technique known as piercing. Layers of veneer were placed together and the topmost one sanded right down to the level of being practically transparent. This technique was further developed by American Marquetry expert Patrice Lejeune.

As a side form of art, Lejeune developed what is called "sprinkling". Sawdust and shavings that lay waste from other projects were collected and used to given pigments or colors to veneers making them more dynamic. Since its debut American Marquetry has come a long way.

A few organizations dedicate themselves to innovating and promoting classical as well as contemporary forms of Marquetry in the nation. If this has caught your interest, then you should head to such places, which will give you the best training in Marquetry possible.

This article was written by Ruth D’Souza Prabhu of MarqART Gift Shop. Our jewelry boxes show unique wood grain patterns and colors assembled into beautiful marqart wood designs of breathtaking beauty. A fine addition to your dressing table or as a gift. Please visit http://www.marqartgiftshop.com to browse & buy exotic jewelry boxes that will give you a lifetime of pleasure!