Intarsia uses varied shapes, sizes, and species of wood fitted together to create a mosaic-like picture with an illusion of depth. Intarsia is created through the selection of different types of wood, using their grain pattern and coloring to create variations in the pattern. After selecting the specific woods for the pattern, the woodworker cuts, shapes, and finishes each piece. Some areas of the pattern may be raised to create more depth. The completed individual pieces fit together like a jig-saw puzzle, glued to a wooden backer-board cut to the outline of the pattern. This typically creates a three-dimensional effect as seen in the
studiolo of the
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino.
Marble intarsia (
opere di commessi), called
pietre dura in English for the semi-precious
hardstones combined with colored marbles that are employed, is an intarsia of coloured stones inlaid in white or black marble. Early examples in
Florence date from the mid fifteenth century and reached a peak of refinement and complexity in revetments of the
Medici Chapel, produced under
Medici patronage in the
Opificio delle Pietre Dure, which was established by
Ferdinando I de' Medici. Later complex designs and refinement of the art developed in Naples 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. Intarsia is best restricted to wood-based work. Today intarsia can be made from purchased patterns. To make intarsia from a pattern, first wood is chosen based on color and grain pattern. Next the pattern is transferred onto the wood and individual pieces are precisely cut out on the band saw or scroll saw. The pieces are then sanded individually or in groups to add depth to the piece. Once the sanding is completed, the wood pieces are fitted together to form the final result. A finish (for example a clear gel stain) can be applied to the individual pieces before gluing, or to the glued final version.
Technique and subjects Before proceeding with the inlay using small pieces of wood, a
cartoon was prepared, often drawn by professional painters, who entrusted the execution of the works to specialized craftsmen. The technique consisted of juxtaposing woods and, at times, other materials (
ivory,
bone, or
mother-of-pearl), cut so as to fit together perfectly, in order to obtain designs that, in the finest examples, achieved remarkable virtuoso complexity. The different colors depended on the natural hues of the various types of wood, further varied according to the cut and the inclination of the grain, which altered the refraction of light on the surface. At times the pieces were also dyed by boiling them in coloring substances, while darker tones were usually obtained through scorching with heated irons, generally carried out after installation. to which the immobile and non-narrative character of the views, cupboards, and depicted objects was perfectly suited. These subjects anticipated the genres of
landscape and
still life, which in Renaissance painting had not yet achieved independent expressive status. Frequent motifs included faceted cups, hourglasses, candelabra, compasses, geometric solids, birdcages, pieces of armor, and similar objects. Half-open cupboards were also common, revealing the typical equipment of the
humanist scholar, such as books and musical instruments. Not infrequently, such subjects were depicted on the doors of actual built-in cupboards that often contained objects very similar to those represented. The representations were always governed by the perspectival rules of contemporary painting, and the painters who supplied the cartoons adapted their work to the specific requirements of this decorative genre. It is, for example, impossible to imagine the production of masters such as
Lorenzo and
Cristoforo da Lendinara without the influence of the silent and geometrically ordered views of
Piero della Francesca. == Woodcarvers ==