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."

A Dream Realized After 20 Years

What is He Thinking Now?

I have always been able to function day to day, taking life as it comes.  It just seems easier to me not to worry about schedules and appointments too much.  Of course, I am reasonably responsible in meeting demands on my business and other social activities.  I just don't write it down on a calendar or post it on my phone with alerts.  I figure that life will prompt me to do something when the time is right.  That means I need to be sensitive to the subtle indicators around me from hour to hour.

Instead of dwelling on what I need to do this week or next, I focus my energies and dreams on the event horizon, years in the future.  For example, in 1984 I started the North Park Main Street Business Improvement District, and directed the non profit management board for the next 30 years in a prolonged effort to revitalize the historic area with new economic development.  I retired from that board in 2014 after it was obvious that North Park was a positive success.  Last week the local paper had a photo of me on the front page, under the headline: North Park Renaissance".

In the same way that I could work towards a long term goal of improving my neighborhood, I had similar goals when I started the American School of French Marquetry.  Initially I just wanted to continue the environment of creativity which I enjoyed at ecole Boulle, so I built some chevalets and set up a workshop for students to learn the French method.

Since the French method I was taught is rather specific to the Paris workshops and uses the "chevalet de marqueterie" to cut the patterns very precisely, I knew that the biggest obstacle to my students was going to be how to get this tool.  While the student was working in the school they could use the various chevalets and get a chance to find out what size tool they needed.  They also got the experience of building and sawing packets so that they could begin to appreciate the possibilities of what the tool could do.

However, it was clear that there was no general awareness of the tool in America.  It's existence was unknown.  Even in Europe, outside of the general Paris region, it was the same.  Somehow, over 3 centuries, the Parisian marquetry worker had kept it secret.

Therefore, my initial goal was just to introduce the tool to students, so that they would find out if they needed one.  Then I began to create blueprints and order hardware so that students could build their own.  Still, the problem of building a chevalet was that you needed to have timber framing skills to build it, so that you could then use it to cut microscopic elements of veneer into exotic shapes.

In spite of these problems, I have sold dozens and dozens of kits over the past 20 years.  I suspect that not all of those kits ended up as built tools.  However, even if half of them got built, that means there is now something like 50 or so in workshops around the country, where previously there was none.

During the past 20 years, as I was selling hardware kits, I had a dream that one day a woodworker would appear and be more interested in building the tool then using it.  I needed a person who had access to good timber and all the machinery required to do the work in a efficient and professional manner, and at a good price.

Those of you who take the time to read these posts will remember that I posted on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 the prototype kit supplied by Mark Hicks, of Plate 11 Workbench Company.  I had met Mark at the Woodworking in America Show and he agreed to work on making chevalet kits.  However, his business making workbenches had a large backlog of orders and he was not able to get to the chevalet project until he cleared his shop of those benches.

At the last WIA show in Kansas City I met another woodworker, David Clark, who is retired.  We discussed the possibility of him making kits and he was excited to accept the challenge.  Since he had a very well equipped workshop and plenty of time, he started immediately.

10 x 20 x 48"

Last week the first kit arrived and it was perfect!  The chevalet of my dreams!  Beautifully crafted, exact in all dimensions, and ready to put together.  Less than two hours after I opened the box I was sawing marquetry on the fully functional chevalet.  All the surfaces were nicely sanded, edges rounded, and everything pre drilled to fit my hardware kit, which I had supplied to him previously.

I have bought and sold and built these tools over the years.  When they are available, which is not often, they sell for an average of $2500.  If I build them by hand, and charged for my time, they would cost three times that price.  If I sell the kits for $500 with blueprints, the buyer needs to then buy the wood and spend the time to make them, which can take weeks, depending on the skill and tools available.

Dave has worked out the specific costs: $400 materials and $1400 labor (at $30/hour).  Amazing!

This Is How You Pack A Box!

He is located in Missouri and was able to ship my kit to San Diego for $110.  Since he is in the middle of the country, I suspect that the shipping to either coast will be about the same.  The kit arrived in a box 10 x 20 x 48" and was packed beautifully.  I was impressed with how he was able to get everything in such a small box.

Wow!  Just Wow!  

As I laid out the parts on the workbench it was clear to me that finally I have found the perfect person to supply the Made in America Chevalet.  He is starting to build up an inventory of parts so that the lead time to supply a kit is expected to be only two weeks.  He says he can build left or right handed tools, in any size for the same price of $1800 out the door (plus shipping).  He told me he needs a $400 deposit for the materials only to place an order.

Two Hours After Opening Box

His contact information is David Clark, 2429 NW Ashurst Drive, Lee's Summit, Missouri 64081 and his phone number direct is 913 486 0344.  He has created a personal email for ordering these kits, which is "david.chevalet@gmail.com".  You can contact him with any questions or to place your order.

I will reduce the price of my hardware kit to $400, since there is no need for the blueprints.  My hardware fits his wood parts perfectly.  I sell the hardware and he sells the wood.  Now a student can simply order the chevalet, wait two weeks and put it together, ready to work.

It Even Includes The Knob!

The French chevalet is no longer a secret or a dream.  This is a reality!  Dreams can come true!

Shop Tour!

Ring the Bell

The front door at my business used to have a stained glass transom window above it.  It was lovely, as it faced West and the setting sun would shine in through the glass.  My wife, Kristen made it, back in the "hippie" days and it really gave the front room class.

However, two things conspired to change that.  First of all, the transom was held in place with a chain, which allowed us to open it and let the air in.  One day that chain came loose and the window fell completely open, hitting me on the head.  Of course, I fixed it, but the bump left a mark.

The real reason was that KFC built a "restaurant" across the street, some 30 years ago, and connected their sewer line to the main line which runs directly in front of my shop.  Before KFC, my business was the first building on the end of the line, and there were no problems.  As soon as KFC began to operate, I found large quantities of "effluent" bubbling up out of my front toilet.  In fact the front room, which was full of antique furniture, had 6" of standing sewage when I arrived the next day.

Of course, KFC denied any involvement, and the city inspector accused me of putting "something" down the toilet, threatening to shut me down.  My damage claims were denied, and I had to clean up the mess.  The only good news was that KFC quietly relocated their drain to the larger commercial sewer directly in front of their store, instead of the smaller residential line in front of mine.

The city inspector determined that, since the sewer line had a very shallow slope, and that the front toilet was on a slab at ground level, it was easier for overflow to come out the toilet instead of lifting the manhole cover.  That was the news that signaled the end of the stained glass transom.

At that time there was news that a contractor in Los Angeles had laid a new basketball court improperly, and it had buckled severely and needed to be replaced.  This floor was made of 3/4" T/G hard maple, and finished with all the basketball lines and such.  The contractor had taken a saw and simply cut the floor into 12' x 8' chunks and piled them outside.  They were free for the taking.

Several of us guys (the ones with trucks) drove up there in a caravan and loaded up as much flooring as we could lift.  I remember my truck sitting on the axle, as I drove home with my headlights pointing to the sky.

Soon, I had a beautiful new hardwood floor in the front room, which raised the floor (and the toilet) over 6" (more than enough to solve the overflow problem).  The result was that I now hit my head on the transom window, which needed to be removed.  That meant I had to build a new front door, which ended up nearly 8 feet tall.

3815 Utah Street

That was over 35 years ago, and I still miss the light coming through the window.

The rest of the building has been changed and adapted to my uses over the years.  Thanks to Asa, at Fine Woodworking, I can invite you to take a tour.  This link will take you to a short presentation.

3815 Utah Street Shop Tour

I hope you enjoy it, and if you are ever in San Diego, please ring the bell and visit.

We've Got Nails!

Tools for Nailing Veneer Packets

When you practice an art form which was perfected in France over 200 years ago, it is natural that you will need some specialized materials, usually not available in America these days.  Home Depot carries a lot of stuff, but they do not have animal protein glue or cast iron glue pots, as I understand it.

Some of the things I need to do my job properly include sawn veneers in a variety of exotic species, bleached bone, 16cm fret saw blades, backer board (ayous) in both 3mm and 1.5 mm thickness, Kraft paper and, of course, veneer packet nails.

Veneer Packet Properly Nailed

"Veneer nails?" you ask.  Why, those are easy to find.  Perhaps, if you don't want the "correct" nails which are used in France exclusively to make the veneer packets.  The problem is that the nails you find in America are more like pins than nails.  The shape is wrong.  The point is not sharp.  The steel is the wrong hardness.  They usually have no flat heads.  Otherwise, they work ok, I guess.


Some years ago it was easy to bring in kilos of the correct nails from Paris, packed in Kraft paper and carried in my carry on bag.  That was before paranoia changed air travel.  Heck, I used to bring liquids of all types, powders in paper bags, tools, and a wide variety of professional materials all the time.  Now I worry about how much toothpaste I have in my bag.  How long does 3 oz last?

Anyway, the last kilo of nails lasted a long time.  So when I returned to Paris and made a trip to the nail factory which had operated in the Faubourg St. Antoine for more than a century,  I expected that it would be easy to buy another kilo.  I still remember standing in the street, looking at the building which was completely gutted and the impressive sign which proudly announced the new condos soon to be finished.

No more nail factory...Instant panic set in.  What now?

Searching on the internet made me realize that nail guns had replaced brads generally with the special nail strips that these guns used.  Useless for my projects.  Other than that I found small brass nails which were used for model building.  I couldn't believe that small nails had become obsolete.

These nails are used in building packets of veneer for marquetry.  They have a special hardness which makes it possible to drive them through hard woods, and, after the excess length is cut off, the ends are riveted in place.   They come in different lengths for different thicknesses of veneer, usually 15 mm and 20 mm in length.

Finally, after some time searching for another factory which understood the special type of nail we needed, we got a tip from Yannick Chastang, ebeniste working in England.  He pointed us to a factory in Creil, near Chantilly, North East of Paris.  I discovered this factory was the last factory in France which was able to make these nails, but they had a minimum order requirement of 50 kilos.  That meant that to place an order I had to spend more money than I had.  Also, 50 kilos of these small nails would last me for a century.

Not only that, these nails were not normally in stock.  The minimum order was because they needed to actually make the nails for us on demand.  We needed to order 25 kilos of any size before they would tool up and make them.  Note on the label that there is the date (11/9/13) which is September 11, 2013, the actual date of manufacture.

It took me two years to get the money together to place the order.  So two months ago I sent the money transfer for 25 kilos of 15mm nails and 25 kilos of 20mm nails.  Naturally, they took August vacation, so the shipment was delayed.  Then it was sent by air freight, which added to the cost, and arrived in Los Angeles to clear customs (even though I told them to send it to San Diego.)  Thus, I had to pay the duty and trucking to have it delivered to my shop, which further added to the investment.

15mm Nails in Can or Box

Last French Company Making These Nails

15mm Length

What a crazy thing it is to spend all this time and money for a bunch of tiny nails!  The  only consolation is that I will never need to buy nails again.  Also, I can now supply nails to students and other marquetry workers here in the States so that they don't need to go through what I went through.

20mm Nails in Can or Box

"Acier Clair" means "Bright Steel"

20mm Length

I am making these nails available, if you need them, at reasonable prices, for several sizes of packages in both lengths.  These nails are 0.7mm in diameter which is American wire gauge #21.  The 15mm length is packaged in tins which weigh at least 200 grams or 7 ounces and cost $15.  The 20mm length is packaged in tins which weigh at least 100 grams or 3.5 ounces and cost $9.  The 15mm length is also available in a box that weighs 1Kilo or 35 ounces and cost $50, and the 20mm length is sold in a box which weighs 500 grams or 17.5 ounces and cost $25.  Shipping is extra for any size, of course.

Please contact me if you want to get some of these nails for your project.  I will be happy to send them to you, and you don't need to invest the kind of money I did to get them.  Frankly I am amazed that any factory still makes them, and I wonder how much longer this supply will be available from France.

I also import 90gm/square meter Kraft paper and sell it for $3/meter and the impossible to find backer board in two thicknesses, 3mm for $3.50/square foot and 1.5mm for $3/square foot.  These are speciality items for the serious marquetry professional, and I need to purchase them in substantial quantities to be able to offer them in this country at these prices.

If you are interested, just call or contact me by email.

Assembly Board Videos

Lately we have been encouraged to make more videos, and YouTube provides the perfect venue for others to see what we do and how we do it.  We are working on a series of videos which will explain the different methods for making marquetry, according to Dr. Pierre Ramond.  Those will follow as we get the time to put them together.

However, as we are building the second series of Treasure Boxes, we thought it would be nice to show how a picture is put together on an assembly board, according to the traditional French process.

I have posted previously about this method, and it is important to note that the idea of building marquetry face down in hot glue on stretched Kraft paper is something developed by the French and not usually done in other countries.  In fact, the type of Kraft paper used is not even available in America, and I have searched for it.  We import rolls of it from a company in France, and the shipping costs exceed the cost of the paper.  (Last shipment arrived by air freight, and the "friendly" customs inspector drove his fork lift over the shipment and thought that was funny.)

Anyway, the French Kraft paper is shiny on one side and dull on the other.  The shiny side resists moisture and is the side we glue to, and the dull side absorbs moisture, and is the side we apply water to to remove the paper from the marquetry when we are finished.  By applying moisture to the shiny side and allowing it to soak in for several minutes the paper expands.  Then when we wrap it around a board and glue it to the edges, it shrinks tight.  That is an assembly board.

A more exhaustive explanation of how to build an assembly board is found on this blog by searching earlier posts.  Use the search word "assembly board."

Patrice finished cutting all the pieces for the marquetry panel using the Classic Method ("piece by piece"), and we set up the camera to film the incrustation of the elements.  Each picture took about a half hour to assemble, working normally, and we speeded up the video so it takes half that time to see what goes on.

Hot hide glue is spread on the paper and the background is laid face down on the board.  Each piece is then picked up, flipped left to right and placed into its appropriate cavity.  We use a special marquetry knife to install the pieces.  It is a soft steel, so we can pry with the point without breaking the tip.

When all the pieces are in place, we clamp it under a piece of plexiglass and start over.  It is fast and easy.  Note we are using sawn veneers, which are quite thick, and you can easily hear the "click" as they plug into place.

As soon as we posted this to YouTube, we noticed that our friend, Paul Miller, had made a similar video last month.  The difference is that he is using sliced veneers, which are much thinner, and he has applied paper to the veneers before cutting them to strengthen them.  After he installs the pieces on the board, he must then carefully remove the paper with a slight amount of water and scraping to clean off the surface.

In either case, once the picture is done, we mix hot glue, hot water and fine sawdust to make a mastic.  That mastic is applied to the entire surface, which fills any gaps and holds the parts together.  Only then can the picture be cut away from the assembly board and applied to the final project.

Hope you enjoy this.  Patrice's video is HERE

Paul Miller's video is HERE

Painting In Wood Packet

Guide To Species and Green and Mahogany Layers

I promise to make a video soon about this method.  Those of you who have issue 109 (February 2008) of the magazine Woodwork, will be able to look up the article I wrote then about it, with good photographs.

To illustrate how I make a veneer packet for a picture using the Painting In Wood process,  I took apart the packet waste, layer by layer, after I finished removing all the pieces I needed for the final picture.

Most important is the initial layout and proper orientation of the individual species of veneer.  I use the four corner edges of the design as a locator.  Each layer, no matter how roughly put together, must have all four corners match exactly with the drawing.  From that reference, I can confidently locate the elements inside the design so there are no errors.

Note that I usually have at least two different species for each flower, and sometimes three.  That gives me a colorful flower, and, since I keep each of those colors for each flower as I cut them out, I can change my mind when I put together the final picture on the assembly board.  For example, if I have a flower with a light and dark selection, I can decide to have a dark flower with light edges or a light flower with dark edges, depending on my mood.  What is not used is discarded, but not until everything is done.

At the top of this post is the layout design with my notes on the woods I selected to use.  The yellow highlighted areas are isolated pieces of ebony background, so I don't forget to keep them. The layer missing from this photo is the ebony background, which I used and can be seen in the last post about this.  Note the green and mahogany layers are usually full sheets, since leaves and branches are all over the design and too much trouble to try to place individually.  The pieces of veneer tape are left over from taping all the layers together securely.  Always tape each layer one by one to be sure nothing moves.

I try to use the smallest piece of veneer possible for each element of the design.  These pieces are usually small scrap pieces from previous projects, so, in the long run, this is an efficient use of surplus material.  In between each element I place a cheap scrap veneer of the same thickness as the others to fill up the gaps and prevent the blade from tearing up the veneer when I saw.  Since all the veneers I use for these jobs are sawn material, I can use the 1.5mm Sipo wood that I have on hand for the front of the packets.  It is cheap and easy to saw.

Layers 3 and 4 Face Down

Looking at these two layers, note that they are face down, so you can see the woods more clearly.  The white wood areas are the Sipo and not important.  Going down the left side first, you can see the two woods I selected for the Tulip, the two different yellow woods for the next flower, the two woods for the next flower, and so on around the packet.  There are no woods for the second tulip on the top right as they are included in the first and second layers sown here:

Layers 1 and 2 Face Down

The first two layers in the packet are shown here.  Now you can see the two woods I used for the top flower, again on the right hand side the two woods for the tulip and so on.  In the center are the two woods for the blue bird, and at the bottom are two woods for the central leafy motif.

Note that I can select the grain direction for each species to correspond with the design.

It is true that all this wood is thrown away, after I select the single piece from the 7 or 8 layers which I intend to use.  However, I gain a lot of time, as the cutting is very fast.  For example, I might take 4-6 hours to construct a packet of this size, and another 8 hours to completely cut it out.  So in two days I can go from design to assembly, and produce a picture which some may think is complicated.  I just think it's a fun and rewarding way to pass the time.

To see the final picture check out the last post.

Art Institute of Chicago Project

Last year we here at the American School of French Marquetry were contacted by staff at the Art Institute of Chicago to see if we could provide assistance in a project they were developing.  It seems that, in our modern age, most visitors to museums expect some form of electronic interaction to enhance their experience.  As usual, I am showing my age.  Lately the most common term I have been using to describe myself is "dinosaur."  "Back in my day," I say to anyone who will listen to me, "we would just go to museums and actually look at the objects, instead of a video screen."

Anyway, I want to encourage any activity these days that will keep people interested in decorative objects, and increase their understanding of the process used to create these wonderful artifacts of the past.  So Patrice and I were enthusiastic about being asked to help.

The AIC flew me back to see the original objects we were being asked to interpret, a Boulle coffer made of tortoise shell and brass, and a secretary by Roentgen.  It was my first visit to the Art Institute, and my first return to Chicago since I was there about 40 years ago.  I was impressed with the way the downtown has changed, the look of Millennial Park, and the new skyline.  What a nice place.  I also want to compliment them on their public transportation system.  I stepped off the plane, crossed the airport terminal to the metro and was dropped off directly in front of my hotel.  Then I had to simply walk across the street to the Institute.  (In San Diego, there is a trolly system, but it doesn't go the one mile to the airport.  You need to get a car to go from the airport to the trolly system...)

Working with the staff of the European Decorative Arts department, it was decided to use one corner of the Boulle coffer design and one element of the marquetry on the drawer of the secretary as a demonstration.  I returned to work with photos and dimensions of each.

We decided to divide the project, according to our strengths.  Patrice has a talent for accuracy and was assigned the Roentgen design to create.  I selected the Boulle pattern, as most of my work has been using that process.

One thing I changed was the material for the Boulle.  Although I have actual tortoise shell which was purchased legally prior to the C.I.T.I.E.S. ban on endangered species, I did not want to use it.  Instead, I used common animal horn, with colored paper backing, to simulate the look of the shell.  Also, I decided not to use a chevalet to cut the design, as it is still not conclusive that this tool was used by Boulle.  Therefore, I used the foot powered frame saw, as that was a tool I believe was available at that time.

You may note in the video that I do not worry about following the design.  I worry about symmetry and clean curves, and since all the materials are cut simultaneously, it doesn't matter how close to the design the cutting is done.  Also, at one point it says that the toothing of the brass "keeps it from moving in the packet."  That is not correct.  We explained that the toothing of the brass was to remove the oxidation and increase the gluing surface, but that got confused when they created the subtext.

Patrice used a hand held fret saw and a bird's mouth support, cutting the internal elements with a perpendicular angle and the exterior of the design with a bevel angle.  That means that, by cutting the cavity in the background veneer with a similar angle, the elements will fit nicely.  It was interesting to do the research on Roentgen's method, as the Metropolitan Museum in New York was exhibiting works by Roentgen and the book they published, "Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens," is well written and informative.  As it turns out, on page 230 a very similar flower is shown being cut and inlaid, using the same methods as Patrice.  We got the book only after we had completed the video project, so seeing confirmation of our work was rewarding.

It is interesting that at the same time as we were creating this video for the AIC, our friend, Yannick Chastang was creating a similar video for the Victoria and Albert museum.  It is fun to compare these videos, as there are slight differences in the process, as I am sure there were slight variations in the methods used during the period.

Here are the videos:

Patrick does Boulle

Patrice does Roentgen

Yannick does Boulle

I want to thank the kind staff at the Art Institute of Chicago.  They made this project fun and rewarding.  As a special thanks to our patron who sponsored the project, Patrice and I used one of the Roentgen flowers and framed it with a Boulle design and purpleheart and ebony trim.  We sent it off to the AIC and they presented it to our generous sponsors, with our compliments.

A Small Token of our Gratitude

Of course, if you have any questions or comments on these videos, please ask.