Artists have been crafting beautiful inlays for millennia. Mosaics, enameling and inlaid woodworks can be found amongst the artwork discovered from the earliest of times. Marquetry is not technically an "inlay." It is an arrangement of thin wood pieces (or shell, bone, stone, metal, straw or other materials) which is precisely cut-and-fit together in a thin sheet and applied as a veneer to a flat wooden surface—for example a piece of furniture, a floor, a wall, or a small flat object. Marquetry was used in Ancient Egypt, Persia, Rome, Renaissance Italy, and throughout Asia for centuries.
The Middle Eastern box above, made in Mid-Twentieth Century, utilizes various wooden veneers and chips of Mother-of-Pearl to create a warm and handsome geometric pattern. The interior is lined in red velvet—making it the perfect place to keep a little jewelry, cufflinks, a watch, collar stays or other little treasures. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248