MARQUETRY
Translated from French by
Jacqueline Derenne, Claire Emili and Brian Considine
Pierre Ramond

ANNOTATION

Marquetry, also called intarsia or inlay, is the art of painting with wood. The marqueter makes intricate pictures and geometric designs by cutting and fitting together thin pieces of colored wood, shell and other precious materials. Marquetry distinguishes the world's finest antique and contemporary furniture.

Pierre Ramond is professor of marquetry at ''Ecole Boille in Paris, and the world's foremost teacher and practitioner of the art.

This is a book for the seasoned marqueter. It contains most information a person would want to know about marquetry, the history, tools, techniques, designs, and methods. But, from my own experience, I would say that you would have to already understand and appreciate a lot about marquetry before you felt that this book was worth spending the money to purchase. It is more like a collectors item in itself. It is wonderfully produced and printed, and would be enhance any book collector's library.

I am definitely satisfied with my purchase. I have used it many times and have used it a lot of times in the development of this internet reference on the Art of Marquetry.

COVER

Marquetry, also called intarsia or inlay, is the art of making pictures and geometric designs with thin slices of colored wood, shell and other precious materials. It is a popular technique for decorating the smooth surfaces of pieces of furniture, as well as a versatile means of creative expression.

This book, written by the world's foremost authority and translated here for the first time into English, will teach readers about the history, tools and techniques of the art of marquetry.

Pierre Ramond's long experience as both a practicing marqueter and as a teacher at 1'Ecole Boulle in Paris makes him uniquely qualified to write about this subject. He wrote the book both for novice and advanced marqueters, in the hope that readers will apply these techniques not only to the reproduction and restoration of antiques but also to the creation of new works.

But the book was not written only for marqueters. Cabinetmakers will learn how to incorporate marquetry into their own work Restorers and art historians will benefit from the many examples and precise explanations of the working techniques of the masters.

There exists no other such work on this important topic, and it is presented here to the English-speaking community by the French publisher, Les Editions H. Vial, and the American publisher, The Taunton Press, in the hope that this art survives.

Cover photo: Marquetry is an ancient art, but its techniques are readily applied in contemporary work. This remarkable emblematic motif by Emmanuel Thoorens, a 20-year-old student at 1'Ecole Boulle, is copied from Louis XV's rolltop desk at Versailles.

AUTHOR

Pierre Ramond

Pierre Ramond was born in 1935 in the southern French town of Soreze, near Tour louse. He studied cabinetmaking first at the Technical School in Revel, which is an important center for this trade, and then at the Metge workshop. After his military service, he moved to the heart of France's cabinetmaking industry, the Faubourg Saint Antoine in Paris, where he headed the marquetry studio of Pierre Rosenau. At the close of this old and highly respected studio, he set up his own studio at his home in suburban Paris. During the 14 years that he operated his own business, he began teaching marquetry at 1'Ecole Boulle, the prestigious craft school in Paris. He was named Full Professor in 1978. He is now President of the Jury of Marqueters for the contest of the "Meilleurs Ouvriers de France," a highly regarded competition that takes place every three years. In 1979 he received highest honors at the Sorbonne for his doctoral thesis on the history and technique of marquetry.

Marquetry has been re-edited and supplemented five times in French and was, in 1983, awarded the prize of 1’Academie Francaise.

Currently, in addition to his teaching at 1'Ecole Boulle, Monsieur Ramond is a lecturer at the University of Paris I and Paris TV and at the Sorbonne, as well as a professor at the French Institute for the Restoration of Works of Art, which is situated in Louis XIV's "Manufacture des Gobelins." He also organizes regular trips with his students to study collections in England, Italy and Germany and offers working seminars in such diverse locations as Reunion Island, where he helped establish a school for marquetry and cabinetmaking, Montreal and at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, as well as throughout France.

CONTENTS


PUBLISHER

The Taunton Press publishes books, videos and magazines about woodworking, home building and fiber arts. For out complete catalog, write to:
Taunton Press
63, Sount Main Street,
Box 355,
Newtown, CT
06470


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