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- This article is about the form of wood inlaying. For the knitting technique, please see Intarsia (knitting).
Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. Intarsia denotes sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone) that is inlaid with the matrix, whereas marquetry assembled a pattern out of veneers. The technique of intarsia is believed to have developed in Sicily, and the art was widely practised in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, after which marquetry tended to supplant intarsia in urbane work.
It is the craft of using varied shapes, sizes and species of wood fitted together to create an almost 3-D inlaid, mosaic-like picture. It is thought that the word 'intarsia' is derived from the Latin word 'interserere' which means "to insert" and that it was originally developed in Siena, Italy in the 13th century by crafters using inlays of ivory inserted in wood as well as inlays of wood inserted into wall murals, table tops and other furniture (See : Duomo di Siena).
Today, intarsia is created by selecting different types of wood, using its natural grain patterns and colors (rather than dyes and stains) to create the different colors in the pattern. Each piece of wood is then individually crafted by cutting, shaping, sanding, and finishing before fitting them together like a jig saw puzzle and gluing them to a piece of 1/4 inch plywood backing cut to the shape of the final product. Sometimes, additional pieces of plywood are used to raise areas of the pattern to create more depth. Once together, a final layer of finish is applied and the project is complete.
Marble intarsia is similar to the above but replaces wood with coloured marbles. Early examples in Florence date from the mid 15th century, later complex designs and refinement of the art developed in southern Italy circa the beginning of the 17th century The floor of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is a particularly notable example of marble intarsia. Later this form of decoration became a feature of baroque interior design, particularly so in the Sicilian Baroque designs following the earthquake of 1693.
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