marquetry

   Inlay or veneers of wood form a pictorial image; as related to parquetry which forms geometric designs. At the height of its use in late 17th century France, fine furniture was embellished with marquetry produced with such rare and extremely expensive materials including ebony, tortoiseshell, and brass, often inspired by Japanese lacquer. In the 18th century marquetry began to be created in exotic woods — Brazilian rosewood, violet wood, mahogany, sandalwood, etc. — in colors including reds, yellows and greens. Marquetry furniture reflected the taste for all things floral, and paralleled the 17th-century "tulipmania" and the work of Dutch painters such as Van Huysum. Frisage is a marquetry technique in which small flakes of precious woods are cut diagonally and arranged so the direction of the grain of the wood produces optical effects akin to iridescence. "Diamond" and "butterfly wing" designs of c. 1720 were achieved in this way.