Marquetry by Ron Bowman

Marquetry is the ancient craft of creating a tableau of artistic beauty using wood veneer from around the world. It can take the sublime form of fine furniture or a decorative motif of a framed picture. On these pages I will share my creations with the hope that they will inspire someone to endeavor to learn marquetry or prompt a present marquetarian to achieve a higher level of craftsmanship. Novices find marquetry rather easy to learn and there is always something new to explore. It is an excellent outlet for the creativity that each of us have. Discover the World of Marquetry and help preserve an art form that most people know little about.

The resources contained within are meant to instruct and inform those interested in the art of marquetry. I hope they help in understanding this craft which is very gratifying to those who practice it. Below is the first furniture project I made after only a handful of marquetry pictures.

H:59" W:44' D:18" Mahogany with satinwood banding. Marquetry of pear, walnut, cherry, rosewood, harewood, mahogany and satinwood. Interior of walnut burlwood with thirteen drawers and shelves. Signed in the marquetry on the dropfront. Constructed of oak, birch, mahogany and walnut as the primary wood in 1995. I built this using only a sketch since I prefer to work in much the same way as a sculptor. The design is a variation of a secretaire by the French cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Foullet of about 1770-1775 who became a Master in 1765. Marquetry panels are more in the English style (after Robert Adam) than they are French and drawn from designs by Thomas Chippendale during the same period.