Marquetry in America: a Superbly 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. Veneers of multi-colored shades are cut carefully into different sizes and shapes, and these are then pasted onto wooden surfaces in a decorative pattern.

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.

In the 19th century German immigrants brought Marquetry to America. The mechanized wood industry stood in complete contrast to the art form. Beautiful pieces of art were created from simple hand tools and some glue.

Americans began to take to Marquetry closer to the time of the Civil War. The obsession with Marquetry then lasted for close to a century. If one examines the pieces that were created at this time, it is clear to see that locally available woods like cherry and maple were preferred.

Woods like Mahogany and other exotic versions were imported for use. Marquetry was further enhanced by the Americans who took to staining wood for more color. The kind of patterns that were thus possible became quite limitless.

There was a wide range that went between linear geometric patterns to 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. European styles are what Americans depended on when Marquetry first came to the country. But the elaborateness of design was not something the Americans included.

The cabinet makers in Boston along with some other artisans were the first propagators of American Marquetry. Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance as well as Louis the XV were some of the styles in vogue till the end of the World Wars. By the time the World Wars ended, Art Deco became a popular style.

Remy Vriz developed a technique called piercing in the 1980s. Veneers were layered and then the topmost one sanded down to the level of its fiber being transparent. This technique was further developed by American Marquetry expert Patrice Lejeune.

As a side form of art, Lejeune developed what is called "sprinkling". Waste from other projects such as sawdust and shavings were collected and used to color pieces of veneer, making them more dynamic. Since its debut American Marquetry has come a long way.

There are a couple of dedicated organizations that constantly work at innovating and promoting the classic and contemporary forms of Marquetry in the country. 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 feature evocative marqart wood designs, created from unique wood grain patterns and colors. 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!