HISTORY

Intarsia - a technique of decorating wooden objects with wood of another kind in order to expose an oriental, figurative or landscape motif thereby achieving an effect of contrast and colour. Known from Ancient Times (the oldest preserved object is a sarcophagi of cedar wood dating back to 2000 before Christ) it first occurred in Italy in 13th century and developed there as well as in German countries in Renaissance. It was applied then also in panelling In Baroque intarsia was the main decorative technique used for production of luxurious French furniture. It was significantly improved by Charles André Boulle - (1642-1732) a carpenter, a French furniture designer and a court artist of Louis 14th, who decorated royal residences with his expensive and luxurious furniture. He also created intarsia in the chambers of Versailles (e.g. in 1685 in the Infant King's study) and supplied foreign courts with his furniture. Furthermore, he improved intarsia technique called marquetry in France by introducing cooper, tin, silver, tortoise shell and various kinds of imported wood such as ebony and developed a book of furniture decorations. He created his own style called Boulle's style in Baroque furniture art, which was popular especially in 18th and 19th century Europe. Boulle's furniture have simple shapes, are massive and richly decorated with intarsia and applications of bronze. These are mostly cabinets, chests of drawers, two-door wardrobes, clock cupboards and desks. Louis 16th Style in furniture craft is characterised by straight lines and application of exotic types of wood. It produced luxurious furniture richly carved, gilded and decorated with wood, inter alia with intarsia. In Poland, intarsia, once named inlaying, was applied in furniture from Elbląg, Toruń and Kolbuszowa. The 18th century brought a bloom of intarsia technique used in Toruń furniture. Around the year 1730, intarsia became a prominent decorative technique in Toruń artistic carpentry. It was used for decorating all the elements of furnishings in bourgeois home interiors such as hall wardrobes, wall cupboards, clock cupboards, trunks, cassettes, panelling) as well as in representative buildings of town halls or churches (e.g. portals, doors, panelling). A similar 18th century Elbląg furniture manufacture reveals certain direct links to Toruń furniture art. Kolbuszowa Furniture - a type of furniture produced in Kolbuszowa situated in Kotlina Sandomierska from the half of 17th century to the half of 19th century, really popular and used for furnishing landowners' residents as well as bourgeois saloons. They were meticulously produced in the wood of oak tree, pear tree and sycamore maple, decorated with frame intarsia, forming a ribbon-pincers pattern with the motifs of stars, flowers and rosettes. Manufacturing was dominated by furniture for storing (more rarely seats), desks, wardrobes, writing desks. Made-to-order, the items of furniture carried an emblem or initials of their owner. _______________________ The information hereinabove has been gathered from: www.portalwiedzy.onet.pl