Celebrating 50 years in business!

Patrice Lejeune and I show our Treasure Boxes

When I started my business in June of 1969 it was because I needed furniture for my new house and it was obvious that old or antique furniture was a bargain.  You could find nice hardwood rockers, tables and chairs and other antiques in thrift stores and used furniture stores, which were nearly everywhere.

I remember the first "antique" I bought was from the used furniture store just two blocks from my house.  It was a very ornate oak parlor pump organ made around 1880.  I think I paid $125.  It did not work (as the bellows were damaged and the works were dirty).  I immediately took it apart to see how it was made.

(True fact: all my life I have taken everything apart as a first step to fix it.  Not all of these efforts proved successful...I'm thinking of carburetors in particular, where you always end up with extra parts and no place to put them.)

In any event, I was soon playing music on my pump organ, which was very loud.  The dealer who sold it to me was walking by my house and the door was open.  He was surprised to hear the organ working and made me an offer to buy it back.  I think the offer was $250.  I had doubled my money!

AND I had a lot of fun.  I thought this would be a good way to pay for college, since I was making only minimum wage working 20 hours a week in the Physics Department at UCSD.  I was able to make much more than that restoring antiques on the side.

As you may know from reading earlier posts on this blog, the physics thing did not work out and the antiques thing just kept getting more fun and more profitable. First I opened an antiques store and called it "Antique Wholesalers."  My motto was "Quality Pieces at People's Prices."  I went back and forth in my truck from San Diego to the Mid West and East Coast and bought nice things.

After about 6 months in business I lost the entire inventory to theft.  I don't want to talk about it...

I quickly opened another business and called it "Antique Refinishers."  My new motto was "Here We Save the Past for the Future."  Business was great and, after a few hurdles, my reputation started growing and I began working on finer and finer pieces of antique furniture.  I specialized in veneer and marquetry repair.

In 1991, when I met Dr. Pierre Ramond at the Getty Museum, I was ready to graduate to the next level.  He was so impressed with what I had learned on my own that he invited me to study with him at ecole Boulle, in Paris.  That changed my life.  I owe a debt of gratitude to Brian Considine, who introduced me to Dr. Ramond.

I was fortunate to have spent much of the 1990's with Dr. Ramond and other craftsmen and educators in Paris, and when he retired, I opened my school, the American School of French Marquetry.

I am responsible for introducing the French method, using the "chevalet de marqueterie," to North America, and happy to see its general acceptance.  It is a wonderful tool and you can accurately saw the finest pieces of material in comfort and with confidence.  You can order a custom chevalet from David Clark.  Chevalet Kits

Soon after I opened the school, I was contacted by Patrice Lejeune, a graduate of ecole Boulle.  He wanted to work with me, and I ended up making him a full partner.  He has an amazing talent for the craft, and an educated eye.  Most unusual, he is not offended by my personality.

Working together, we have created many wonderful pieces of furniture.  Starting in 2011 we decided to produce a series of Treasure Boxes, in a process which allowed us to make four identical boxes at the same time.

To better understand our methods, you can visit our YouTube channel: 3815utah.

Here is a short video that illustrates a typical assembly process.  This is Patrice working on the marquetry for the inside of Treasure Box II.

TREASURE BOX I

The inspiration for TB I came when I was searching online with Google images.  I spend a lot of time using "images" as it provides an amazing wealth of information.  I discovered a marquetry box that was made late in the 17th century and sold at Christies in Monaco for 18,000 British pounds.  I thought it was perfect and the price indicated a certain demand for such an object.

We spent the next 18 months producing 4 identical boxes with a similar construction and design.
The background for the marquetry was some wonderful absolutely black Gabon sawn ebony veneer that we obtained from J. George in Paris.  The interior was veneered in sawn olive with king wood, tulip wood and boxwood.

Treasure Box I

Interior View (secret compartment)

We were able to sell all four boxes before we had finished construction.

TREASURE BOX II

Encouraged by the success of the first series, we began to design TB II.  Again, Google images provided examples of marquetry that we adapted for our use.  The inclusion of birds was a goal, as we find collectors really like them.

The detail on the second series is much more complicated than the first.  Also, we included bone inlay, both white and green.  It took some research to find out exactly how to color the bone green.  I want to thank Don Williams for help in that search.

Treasure Box II

Interior (secret tray released)

Instead of a hidden compartment, we designed a system for a gilt leather writing surface to be released.  In one spot on the interior the wood is slightly flexible.  By pushing down in that spot the tray is ejected by hidden springs.

The interior is veneered with sawn bloodwood, kingwood, tulip and boxwood.  In total there are three birds on the box and marquetry on all sides.

As before, we sold all the series before construction was completed.  One was purchased by a kind client who donated it to the permanent collection of the Mingei museum, in San Diego.  That represents the first time one of our creations found its way into a museum collection, although I have participated in several different museum shows in the past.

TREASURE BOX III

There are several objects in the Getty museum collection that Patrice and I really appreciate.  One is the ivory and horn table attributed to Gole.  One of my students, Aaron Radelow has succeeded in making exact copies of that table, and they are wonderful.

Ivory and Horn Tables by Aaron Radelow

The other object that we admire is the marquetry coffer.  It is a basic box, resting on a gilded stand (not original?) and covered in marquetry.  We decided to use it for our inspiration and reduced the scale by 33 % to make it more manageable and salable.  We also decided to design custom made hardware and include drawers.

For the background we selected ferreol.  This wood was rare, even in the 17th century, and found in South America.  It has the density of brass and is very hard to cut.  That said, it has a wonderful chocolate brown color and really shows off the marquetry elements.  We added pewter and brass inlay to set off the border.

For this box we used nearly 50 different species of exotic hardwood sawn veneers.  I must say that I was fortunate to have purchased the bulk of my veneers in Paris during the 1990's, while I was in school.  These veneers were very expensive then and, unfortunately, are not available today.  Thus, it is essential that I use the material I have very carefully.  It cannot be replaced at any cost.

I Love Wood

Selecting the Material for Treasure Boxes

That is why making the Treasure Boxes makes sense.  These are perfect objects to show off the last of the rare woods from all parts of the world.

We immediately sold the first box to a long time client and he asked "could you make a stand?"  We had not considered that, but his suggestion was taken to heart.  We created a stand in matching material in the same late 17th century style.

Treasure Box III and Stand

Interior (three drawers, writing surface, secret compartment)

In fact, the stand itself is something that "stands on its own"  (sorry, I had to say that!)

Here's Looking at You, Kid

Louis XIV Stand

The interior of Box III has several interesting features.  The key that locks the box also serves to open the secret compartment located behind the mirror.  The front lid is released by pushing two buttons on the sides. The writing surface is covered in French silk and lifts up to reveal a tray veneered in satinwood.  Inside this tray is a small brass button.  Depressing this button allows the drawers to spring forward.

Three drawers, Silk writing surface, Secret compartment

Drawer Release System

Here is a photo of TBI, TBII, TBIII and the stand sitting in the veneer cave.

Words escape me....

As you can see, what I have learned in 50 years of business as a furniture conservator in private practice is how to convert hardwood logs into rare veneers into decorative marquetry surfaces into money.  And it all started with a pump organ...

Top View Treasure Box III

PS:  We have sold two of the boxes and stands at this point and are looking for nice homes for the rest.  I am thinking of a new motto for these boxes:  "Limited Quantities, Unlimited Quality."

C.I.T.I.E.S.

I have been thinking about posting my thoughts on endangered species materials for years now, and every time I sit down to start writing, I stop and reflect on the impact it may have.  I have personal and professional friends who are on both sides of this issue.  I also argue with myself from time to time, trying to decide how I feel.  It is a very difficult problem to resolve.

First of all, there is a jewel cabinet which sits at the top of this blog which contains ivory feet and knobs.  It is one of my best creations and has been exhibited in museum shows on both sides of this country, as well as published in several magazines.  When I made it I took particular concern that the ivory be from legal stock, harvested in Kenya before 1963, and I have legal papers which confirm that fact.  It wasn't until 10 years later that the creation of an international convention to protect endangered species was signed ( C.I.T.I.E.S.) forcing nations to control and restrict the sale of such materials.  The purpose of this treaty was to prevent the continued depletion of certain precious materials but at the same time allow for the continued consumption of existing stock.  Thus, each legitimate business which had inventory of a protected substance would register the amount of stock and provide certificates with each sale showing the amount sold and the origin of that stock.

When I purchased the Brazilian rosewood (dalbergia negra) for my Louis Philippe tables from Patrick George, I got papers which certified it was harvested in Brazil in 1952.  Mr. George indicated on my papers the actual amount of wood and, at the same time, reduced that amount from his list of legal stock.  In theory, each dealer who maintained stock of these endangered materials would reduce their inventory lists until they were depleted, at which time there would no longer be any stock.

The same process was used with the ivory material I consumed for the jewel cabinet.  I purchased the blanks from David Warther, and was given a certificate authenticating the ivory as pre-C.I.T.I.E.S.  I included this certificate with the sale of the cabinet for the protection of the owner in the future.

I watch in dismay as each day brings news of the elimination of rhinos and elephants from the face of the earth due to illegal poaching.  Obviously the efforts to legislate the control of horns and tusks has had little effect on their activities, unless it is to raise the value of their horrible trade in other markets.  I cannot express the feelings I have when I see tons of illegal ivory being destroyed by countries to make a point.  I feel the same way when I see antique pianos being crushed by tractors in the dump, with no effort to salvage the ivory, ebony or rosewood materials they contain.

Let me make a simple observation about efforts to control endangered species by contrasting two materials: tortoise shell and rosewood.  People harvest sea turtles because the meat is a food and they taste great (so I read; I have no desire to sample sea turtle).  Thus, if the shell is no longer valuable, people continue to harvest the turtles, eat the meat, and then throw the shell back in the ocean.  On the other hand, in Brazil where the rubber tree is a valuable item, natives make every effort to protect the rubber tree from destruction.  By making the rosewood tree illegal to harvest, and therefore not valuable, there is no protection for the trees that have survived,  and acres of ancient forest are systematically burned to open up land for farming, with no regard to the species of trees destroyed.

What if the rosewood tree was worth thousands of dollars?  What would change?  Would the forests be saved and managed or would the tree just be cut down and sold and then the rest of the forest would be burned as before? Does international legislation have any effect on a farmer with a match?

I do understand that C.I.T.I.E.S. has had a profund and positive effect on managing the international trade of certain materials, but only among those nations who fully support its mission.  For example, in the past year America has proposed and adopted more specific legislation regarding the control of ivory, and this year similar bills have been proposed in California (AB96).  More information can be found here:Ivory Education Institute

As a professional conservator in private practice for the past 45 years, I have collected a good supply of ivory, tortoiseshell, Cuban mahogany, Brazilian rosewood, and many other materials which are currently listed on the C.I.T.I.E.S. list.  All of this material was purchased years before there was any concern with their ownership, and I have no records to prove that I purchased them legally.  Only the materials purchased since the passage of restrictive legislation have certificates.  My business is restoration of objects of art which contain similar materials and that is how I use them.

More and more the decision to use these materials is causing a serious dilemma for me.  It is not clear to me what the future holds for collectors of antiques which often contain precious materials.  Do I use a piece of tortoise shell to restore a missing element in a Boulle clock?  Should I use a scrap of an ivory piano key to make a missing key plate?  How about a scrap of Cuban mahogany veneer being recycled to restore a Georgian card table?  I cannot bring myself to substitute plastic filler or paint and putty to make such repairs, as is more and more the case these days.

I decided to sit down and post these thoughts today since the possibility that all objects which contain ivory will loose their value is a serious concern.  A good example of this is the work of Aaron Radelow.  Aaron is a young furniture maker who I have known for some time.  I first met him when I was the Superintendent of the Design in Wood Show at the Del Mar Fair.  His work was always large, massive and complicated to assemble.  I suggested that he focus more on smaller designs with more detail and "finesse".  He subsequently attended classes at my school where he discovered French marquetry.  During one of these classes I mentioned that the ivory table in the J. Paul Getty collection was perhaps the finest example of work I had seen, and that it had never been copied.  His response was that he would make a copy, and I was quick to dampen his spirits.  I pointed out that it was "iconic" and a "masterpiece" like the Mona Lisa, and that it was "sacred" or some other crap.

Well, he did it.  He spent several years in research, consulted with Brian Considine at the Getty, purchased thousands of dollars of legal ivory and horn and figured out how to do it.  Not only did he succeed in making and exact copy of the original table, he also produced the counter part, which has never existed.  Both of his tables were here in my shop for several weeks as my partner, Patrice Lejeune applied the French polish, so I had a good chance to examine the work.  In my opinion these tables are equal to the original in every respect, and even Dr. Pierre Ramond wrote that they were unique in his experience.

More information on how he was able to produce these pieces is here: Making The King's Furniture

Now the problem:  After thousands of hours of work by a very talented craftsman, using legal materials, what is their value?  How do you recognize this achievement and where will they end up?  When he started work on this project he had every expectation that they would be worth a lot of money, and in my opinion, they are nearly priceless.  However, due to subsequent legislation they may end up as illegal or certainly difficult to sell.

Here is a photo of his tables on either side of the original in the J. Paul Getty Museum:

Radelow, Gole, Radelow

What does the future hold for these and other great works of Art?

"Classic Method" Video

Oeben Table J. Paul Getty Collection

Several years ago the J. Paul Getty Museum had an exhibition which illustrated the various stages of making a table by Oeben which is in their collection.  It was a well produced effort, and involved many of the workshops and artisans who I know from my time in Paris.

In particular, Michel Jamet was involved in the ebenisterie, and Pierre Ramond directed his top students in the recreation of the marquetry surface.  They are not given credit in this video, but I would like to mention that they produced this work at ecole Boulle, in Paris.

The exhibition discussed the sawing of the veneers, the making of the carcase out of oak, the bronze dore mounts, the polishing and, of course the marquetry.  Note the veneers used were sawn veneers which are 1.5mm thick and supplied by Patrick George, in Bagnolet, France.

If you have visited the museum, you will recognize this table as one of the great masterpieces in their collection.  It was made by Jean-Francois Oeben, around 1754.  The top of this table slides back which opens the drawer for access.  That, in itself, is a neat trick, since you do not have to move any of the stuff sitting on the top and get full access to the drawer for the writing tools inside.

The inside of the drawer is finished as elaborately as the outside of the table.  I particularly love the grill and flower motif ("jeux de fond") which decorates the aprons and sides of the drawer.  In this method, each of the individual flowers were cut into their respective backgrounds with conical cutting.  Then the grill was laid down and, one by one, the flowers were positioned into their appropriate cavities.

The Getty video is a very accurate representation of the Classic Method, invented by the French in the 18th century, also called "element par element" or "piece by piece."  The essential part of this process was making copies of the design using the picking machine, or even using a pin to poke the holes by hand.  This early "Xerox" method allowed the artist to make as many exact copies of the drawing as needed.  Each part of the design was then cut out and applied to a packet of veneers, held together by nails.

It is important to understand that this method relied on cutting the outside half of the line away for all the inside elements and the inside half of the line away for the background.  The accuracy required for the proper execution of this method depended on two things: using a chevalet, which is the most controlled and accurate tool for cutting veneers, and the simple trick that the inside elements were cut clockwise around their perimeter and the background packet was cut counter clockwise around the perimeter.  Once you understand this, you will see the advantage of this method.  Not only does it minimize waste and eliminate the saw kerf completely, it allows the worker to make many copies of the marquetry as he wants, all exactly identical.

I was fortunate to be involved in this exposition.  I was hired by the Getty Education Department to make twice weekly public presentations in the Gallery adjacent to the installation.  I had a picking machine, chevalet, and all the tools and materials used to make marquetry set up and demonstrated the techniques which were shown in the video.  These 2 hour talks allowed the visitors to ask questions and see exactly how marquetry is traditionally made in France.

Demonstrating Marquetry at the Getty Museum

Let me know if you have any questions.

ASFW Invades MASW

Demonstrating at Timken Museum in 1990

There are so many ways to make marquetry, you could fill a book.  Actually, Pierre Ramond has filled 5 large books, including his recent publication in French of the work of Andre Charles Boulle.  You can use chisels, knives, fretsaws, jigsaws, lasers, punches, overhead saws and, of course, the famous "chevalet de marqueterie."  I think by now you know which method I prefer.

Pierre's first book, "Marquetry," was published in 1989 by Taunton Press, and was the first handbook I got my hands on which explained the proper use of the chevalet.  Prior to that, I had found the rare reference to this obscure tool in a few other books, but none of them seemed to know what they were describing.  I recommend "Marquetry" as the first and only book necessary to understand this ancient craft, and note, with some unease, how the prices for this out of print book have risen over the years.

Note to students: There is also a Vial edition published in France which is in English, and a reprint of the book in English, published by the Getty Museum in 2002.  All editions have identical copy and the only difference is in a few of the photos, which change from edition to edition.

Pierre published this important book after he got his PhD and included much of his research with a wide range of photos, essentially making him the world's expert on French marquetry.  However, he still had more material, and as he was allowed to actually trace designs of famous marquetry examples in many museums, he continued to publish a series of 3 volumes over the next few years, called "Masterpieces of Marquetry."  This three volume set was translated into English and published by the Getty Museum also in the year 2000.

The French edition of "Masterpieces" was published much earlier, and I still remember on one of my trips to Paris, in February 1996, walking into the conservation lab at the Musee des Arts Deco, and being greeted with congratulations by my friends.  Not knowing why I was so special, they presented me with the newly published Volume II, which had just been released.

There, on page 62, was my photo, and some copy which read, in part: "The perpetual transfer of techniques between continents can be illustrated by Patrick Edwards's (sic) equipment."  He goes on to discuss how I was able to acquire an historic foot powered frame saw and build my own chevalet.  In my talks with Pierre, he encouraged me many times to introduce woodworkers in my country to the traditional French methods of work, including the "chevalet de marqueterie."

That is exactly why I have established the American School of French Marquetry in San Diego.  I realize how special and fortunate it was for me to attend ecole Boulle, and it was my duty to make that experience available to others in any way I could.

Demonstrating at Getty Museum in 2000

When I started the school, I doubt that there were more than a couple of chevalets existing in North America.  I knew of a few European trained workers who had personal tools in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but their shops were closed to the public.  In fact, the Getty Museum had two examples made for their purpose and I was able to see these tools in storage.  When I first opened my school, the Getty was generous enough to loan me one of them, until I could build more of my own.  That particular tool has now been loaned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for their use.

The ASFM has two goals in teaching students: first, introducing the student to the chevalet, and second, transmitting the traditional French methods of making marquetry surfaces as taught to me by Pierre.

I often use a musical metaphor when I teach about the tool.  For example, if you were given a violin and a bow and had no knowledge of how to hold it, tune it, or read music, it would be very difficult to learn how to play it properly.  Therefore, the first class, Stage I, is designed to fit the student to his personal chevalet, how to adjust the blade tension and angle, and how to follow the line.  Also, the student is provided with three simple exercises to execute, so that they can learn the process from initial design to final picture.

By the end of the first week, they have a choice to proceed to Stage II and work on the Classic Method, or do a Painting in Wood exercise, depending on how accurately they can follow the line.

We have had hundreds of students from dozens of countries complete our classes.  All of them have been surprised to learn how easily the tool functions, and what amazing things can be accomplished with it.  Nothing in my experience allows the precision and comfort that the tool is designed for.  It actually becomes a direct extension of the body, after a few hours of practice.

In addition to the 6 chevalets, of different sizes, that I now have in the school, I am currently building a 7th tool, which I expect to be available by June's classes.  One of the tools is left handed, but it is my experience that the majority of "left" handed students prefer working with the right handed tool. After all, how many left handed violinists are there?  (OK: Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney are exceptions.)

Now for the exciting news.  After some time discussing with Marc Adams the possibility of teaching at his school, we have come to an agreement.  He has purchased 8 chevalet kits and is building new tools for his school, where I will teach my first class in October.  Unlike his other classes, this marquetry class will be strictly limited to 8 students at a time.  I understand that he already has 6 students registered, so there are only 2 spaces available.

I expect that, now that his school has invested in these tools, I will be able to teach there more often than once a year, and even that his staff will be able to develop classes themselves, after some instruction.  This will be the second school in North America with chevalets!

Here is the link for the class:

Painting in Wood Class

In addition to that one week class in October, I will be also teaching two one day classes that weekend. The first is all you need to know about using protein glues.  I have sort of become the leading "authority" on these organic glues, so this should be interesting.

Here is the link for that class:

Working With Protein Glues


Finally, the last class I teach will be on French polishing.  This is a difficult class to teach in one day, but I will cover the basics and get you started on a life long pursuit of the most beautiful finish you will ever struggle to accomplish.

Here is the link for that:

French Polishing Class

The gluing class is limited to 20 and the polishing class is limited to 18.  That should be interesting.

If you can't make it to San Diego and ASFM, I hope to see you in Indiana at MASW.