Marquetry is the process of configuring elaborately inlaid patterns for use as decorative cladding on furniture and decorative objects. Thin sheets of wood veneer, shell, glass, or other materials are cut into small pieces and affixed to a wood surface in a predetermined pattern—oftentimes complex geometric designs or graphic depictions of pictorial scenes—that is then applied to the object’s surface. While examples of the technique can be traced to the ancient Egyptians it was first popularized in France during the late 16th century. Marquetry is not to be confused with Parquetry which refers to wood-inlaid flooring.
