History of Intarsia

A History of Intarsia

A Look at the History of Intarsia

  First, the definition of in•tar•si•a (in-tär'së-a) noun.
1. A decorative inlaid pattern in a surface, especially a mosaic worked in wood.
2. A knitted design resembling a mosaic that is visible on both sides of a fabric.
3. The art or practice of making intarsia´s.
     German, from Italian intarsio, from intarsiare, to inlay: in + tarsia (from Latin),
     an inlaid mosaic work, from the Arabic tarsi, inlaying, setting, to inlay).
The two we are mainly interested in here, are numbers 1 and 3.

Intarsia or tarsia, which is properly a form of wood inlaying. This term is sometimes applied to inlays of other materials such as ivory and metal or precious stones. It is however differentiated from marquetry by the basic veneering process of the latter.
The term intarsia is specifically applied to a type of inlaying probably developed during or around the Renaissance era in Siena, Italy, in the 14th century and derived from Middle Eastern inlays of ivory upon wood. This art was widely practiced in Italy from c.1400 to c.1600. The fashion for intarsia declined thereafter probably due to the cost of the materials and intensive man-hours it took to produce the pieces, although some works in this medium were still produced. Intarsia
work was also practiced to a limited extent elsewhere in western Europe at that time.
Designs included pictorial scenes and conventionalized scrolls, arabesques, and geometric forms. Sometimes on quite elaborate pieces such as the traveling chest, circa 1540, from Germany shown below.

Geometric figure (1537), intarsia by fra Damiano da Bergamo, Museum of the Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bologna, Italy

Geometric figure (1537),
intarsia by fra Damiano da Bergamo; Museum of the Basilica of Saint Dominic,
in Bologna, Italy.

For a larger view of these two images,
just click on them...

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 cut, shaped, and sanded 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.

So the true origins of the intarsia style of art work is vague at best. At least in respect to the use of wood as the medium. This is because while there are numerous examples of stone or tile work still in existence today, wood just does not have the ability to withstand the ravages of time. If it is not preserved properly, it simply deteriorates and rots away. This is the number one reason no examples of the form are to be found today. At least any further back than approximately the early 1500's. This brings us up to the current forms of inatrsia being made.

Below is a common example of the art in it's presently known form.

Bibliography and Citations:

Institute of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage http://www.opificio.arti.beniculturali.it/index.htm

Jackson, F. Hamilton, Intarsia and Marquetry, (London: Sands & Co.) 1903 excerpt

http://www.tbirdranch.com/Intarsiafiles/intarshist.html

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intarsia "intarsia." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005.

"intarsia." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003.

Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9368030 "intarsia." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006.

"intarsia." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.

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