Defining Our Terms (Two of Five)
11 March 2008
The dictionary definition of marquetry is "decorative designs made of inlaid materials, specifically designs or pictures made of thin pieces of wood, metal, shell or other materials, inlaid in a wood veneer and often applied as decoration to pieces of furniture."
As in so many things, though, this definition only hints at telling us what the word means. It’s as though we were to describe climbing Mount Everest as "a bit strenuous." Do you think?
Marquetry exists at a lot of different levels. We can start with what I did, which was essentially throw up my hands in despair! I did study it for a bit at Palomar College and tried my hands at a few different techniques for marquetry. If you’ve ever read the BC comic where the flower is talking to the rock, you have an idea of the kind of "art" I was able to produce by stacking up some pieces of veneer and cutting out a pattern with a fretsaw. But what I found out immediately was that it was a discipline that required better eyes, better hands, and better talent than I was ever going to bring to the table, which is why I so admire the work of those who are able to excel at this ancient art.
Some of the finest examples of marquetry are in museums, pieces originally made for such personages as Louis XIV of France, the Sun King. What most astounds me about these works, though, is that, having been made in the 17th century, they were necessarily made with hand tools. And what astounds me all the more is learning that there are people who use many of those same techniques in the production of their work. A case in point is Craig Thibodeau, who uses the traditional 18th century French Boulle method.
In order to do something like this, you must first be a fine draftsman. Then you need a pair of hands that enables you to make cuts of unbelievable precision. And if you really like jigsaw puzzles, you’ve found your calling!
Marquetry at Craig’s level is more than the sum of its parts, but in order to tell you why I so admire his work, I shall have to tell you what goes into making those many parts.
Joseph
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