Marquetry in the history of design

Marquetry is a decoration made with veneers of wood and various other materials (mother-of-pearl, ivory, stone, shagreen, non-ferrous metals, straw), usually cut according to a design and glued to a support (furniture, woodwork, or painting). Over the centuries, cabinetmakers have perfected the technique of marquetry to create sumptuous furniture with very figurative or more abstract decorations. In this article, we look back at the evolution of this ornamental technique that was very fashionable during 2 great historical periods and that some contemporary designers are revisiting with taste.

In ancient Egyptian times, some very skilled craftsmen were already practicing inlay by placing pieces of bone, ivory, glass paste and stone into wood. It was not until the 14th century and the Italian Renaissance that Florentines placed thin plates of precious wood or mother-of-pearl - previously cut with scissors - in wooden furniture. Italy is considered the cradle of traditional marquetry.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries mark the 1st golden age of marquetry, particularly in France, where the historical context allows the development of richly ornamented furniture (Louis XIV and Louis XV style). Louis XIV undertakes a series of bold works whose objective is to restore the image of power of the Kingdom: restoration of the palace and the Tuileries garden, construction of the modern "Versailles", development of the National Manufacture of Gobelins. The furniture of pomp richly decorated with veneers and inlays is synonymous with wealth: marquetry reaches its peak.

It also benefited from the export of precious woods from the colonies (Guiana amourette, Indian rosewood). A man then came to revolutionize the technique of marquetry. André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), the king's cabinetmaker, developed the technique known as "La Tarsia a incastro" or "part against part". The designs are formed in negative and symmetry. The Atelier Boulle uses copper, brass and red tortoiseshell cutouts.

Although techniques were being perfected, marquetry fell into disuse somewhat in the 19th century before being revived under the impetus of the Art Nouveau movement at the turn of the 20th century. In reaction to the industrial era, Art Nouveau favored furniture with rich ornamentation whose forms were inspired by fauna and flora.

Émile Gallé (1846-1904), a leader of the Nancy School, incorporated wooden marquetry ornaments into the creation of his furniture. In Paris, Samuel "Siegfried" Bing (1838-1905), a dealer in Japanese and Oriental art, disseminated Art Nouveau, including the creations of architects, cabinetmakers, and furniture designers such as Georges de Feure (1868-1943), Eugène Gaillard (1862-1933), and Édouard Colonna (1862-1948).

Art Deco succeeded Art Nouveau with furniture with more geometric and clean lines. Nevertheless, marquetry remains quite popular, the era belongs to the great decorators who continue to use "rich" materials. Straw marquetry, in particular, experienced a new boom in the 1920s with Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) and André Groult (1884-1966).

After this second golden age, marquetry became more discreet after the war. It is no longer really fashionable, but it continues to seduce a public fond of furniture with a careful finish. In France, the furniture house Jansen, revisits old styles with quality materials. Its customers: large international fortunes, the British royal family, whose beautiful marquetry furniture adorns ceremonial living rooms.

Contemporary designers with a fondness for marquetry include Jean-Claude Mahey, a designer who founded his contemporary furniture company in 1976, specializing in furniture using precious metals and rich woods. Abroad, the Swiss interior architect and designer Dieter Waeckerlin (1930-2013) designs furniture renowned for its high quality of workmanship which appeals to both local and international clients. In Germany, Heinz Lilienthal (1927-2006), one of Germany's pioneers in glass painting and a specialist in metal, wood and concrete wall decorations, makes inlaid tabletop furniture.

Inlay work remains very popular in Italy. The town of Sorrento in the Bay of Naples has a centuries-old tradition of inlaying precious woods. Some "historical" houses, such as the Basile house created in 1930, still continue to make furniture in precious wood made by craftsmen specialized in marquetry (under the brand Studio Hebanon). The great Italian architect and designer Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019), tried his hand at marquetry for the publisher Zanotta in the mid-1980s.

Modern marquetry continues to appeal: it often combines an assemblage of several woods, includes leather and metal inserts, and plays with colors. Some designers like to happily revisit it to test their creativity.

François Boutard