An English bracket clock with inlaid ornamentation is signed: Joseph Buckingham junior Minories. That’s the name of the clockmaker, who worked in Minories between 1740 and 1760. The clock’s ornamentation includes a inlaid vase of flowers, birds, and fascinating animals made of sycamore maple, mahogany, blackened pear, and other materials.
A Louis XVI dresser (Italy. 18th century). The chest is adorned with floral patterns and different woods: bouquets and quivers in kingwood, rose, amaranth, and walnut inlay on mahogany. The strong tablet motifs used by Louis XVI first appeared in Italy at the end of the 18th century; inverted leaves and stylization in nature representation are also very Italian. The marble tablet is authentic, but the bronzes that cover up some of the inlays are not.
Wood is engraved by a “wood carver” to produce designs or shapes. It may create three-dimensional sculptures in the round or in deeper or shallower bas-reliefs. He might have to use materials than wood in his creations.
Marquetry consists in cutting and assembling pieces of different kinds of woods and other materials such as mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, pewter, and straw. The “inlay craftsman” plays with the complete range of wood species to create compositions to adorn furniture or other items. In order to adhere the veneers to their backing, he cuts natural or coloured veneers, assembles the pieces with hot glue, and then presses them.
Etienne and Agnès Saillard specialised in the production and restoration of inlaid objects and have a 20-year of experience in this technique. Discover more about marquetry and their workshop here.
