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ITEM OF THE MONTH
Antique French Marquetry Commode |
| It does not take an expert on antiques to see that this is an exquisite piece of marquetry workmanship. But what exactly is marquetry? |
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| Marquetry is the art of cutting shaped sections of wood veneer (or other material) and applying it to a “structural carcass” to form a pattern or design. The simplest kind of marquetry uses only two sheets of veneer which are cut together producing two contrasting panels of identical design. Simple geometric marquetry designs like basketwork, tiling or trelliswork are often called “parquetry”, hence the parquet floor. |
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| Marquetry can be much more complicated and ambitious using many native and exotic woods in different colors to produce non-geometric designs such as flowers or even landscapes. This antique French commode is a wonderful example of what marquetry can mean. |
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| Marquetry should not be confused with the much more ancient craft of inlay in which a solid body of one material is cut out to receive sections of another. In spite of this and just to confuse everybody, marquetry-makers in 18th century England were known as “inlayers”. The marquetry technique had its origins in 16th century Italy and the craft spread from there to Holland, France, England and Germany. |
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| Take a minute to look at this commode and think about how much time and craftsmanship went into making it. If you are interested in this item, please click on the image above for more information. |
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