RESTORATION OF MARQUETRY SURFACES

 

Andre-Charles Boulle was made famous by the court of Louis XIV at the start of the 18th century. His name has become a generic term for the marquetry technique, which was produced in the leading cities of Italy, Germany, France, the Low Countries and England. In German, it is called "Buhl work".

During the 18th century, and later in the 19th century, under Napoleon III, boulle marquetry made with metals, tortoise-shell and woods was quite popular. The use of different species of sea tortoise shells, with red or brown colored paper glued underneath was dramatic. Contrasted with the polished and engraved brass or pewter elements it gives the effect of jewelry.
Unfortunately it is very difficult to permanently glue brass, pewter and copper glue to the wood background, and the finish must protect the surface from the elements at all times. Another problem is changes in temperature which cause the metals to expand and the wood ground to shrink relative to each other over time. This is why fish glue is normally used to apply and repair boulle surfaces. It is strong and flexible, easily penetrates and holds quite well, and is reversible and bonds to itself.
One of the most important tools for the veneer shop is a manual veneer press. I built my veneer press over 25 years ago, and, although it cost me a lot of money to make then, has been the backbone of the workshop, and has paid for itself a thousand times over. It is 54" wide inside the pipes and about 8" tall inside the clamps. I usually keep several sheets of plywood as a bed, and heat large aluminum plates to press the veneer. There are 10 units, each with 5 veneer screw clamps, and all of the units can be moved closer or farther apart to fit the work. I can press a full 4 X 8' marquetry sheet in one operation, and have used this press to make a marquetry table top which was 4 x 14' long.
The most common and interesting work in the shop is restoration of early marquetry surfaces. These can be repaired "in situ" or can be removed as a surface for restoration on the bench. It is important to use sawn veneers for restoration of all pre-industrial furniture. The slicing of veneers began in the last half of the 19th century, and sliced veneers are much thinner than early sawn veneers. Patrick George in Paris operates a fourth generation veneer shop using the same horizontal saws that have produced these veneers since the start of the 19th century.