THE ART OF INLAY

Parquetry

The art of inlay, begun by the Egyptians, was taken to a new level of expertise with the Italians during the Renaissance. The simplest form involved creating a geometric design - a craft called "parquetry." This was used on both furniture and floors.

Marguetry

"Marguetry" was a more complex approach that required creating a floral design or picture with different colors of wood.

Intarsia

The most spectacular inlay is called "intarsia," in which pieces of wood were used to execute detailed pictures. These often involving perspective and illusionistic effects - called "trompe l'eoil" in French - which translates as "fool the eye." This example is the Studiolo of Federic da Montefeltro, by Giuliano da Maiano (1473 - 1476)

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CERTOSINA

The technique of using light colored materials such as bone, ivory, metal, pale wood, and mother-of-pearl in geometrical patterns is called "certosina."

SCAGLIOLA

Craftsmen created intricate designs using powdered marble and pigments in a medium that hardened into a surface like stone. These were applied to table tops and furniture panels.

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