Masterpieces of marquetry. Outstanding marqueters (volume 3)

Since the publication Of the ground-breaking Marquetry written by Pierre Ramond, the world's foremost authority, and considered by art historians and craftsmen alike the "bible" of the craft no other book has made significant contributions to the art of "painting" with wood. Now, with the three volumes that comprise Masterpieces of Marquetry, Ramond brings the results of his continued studies to novice and advanced marqueters, collectors, restorers, art historians, and enthusiasts of this ancient art that continues to find expression among craftsmen today. In Volume III: Outstanding Marqueters, Pierre Ramond focuses on the masterpieces of four exceptional marqueters: Jean-François Oeben, Jean-Henri Riesenger, and Abraham and David Roentgen. These illustrious cabinetmakers directed the most famous workshops of the second half of the eighteenth-century, when marquetry was at its pinnacle. The availability of imported woods made possible a wider variety of colors and contrasts in the marquetry compositions, while more sophisticated and complex cutting techniques allowed these marqueters and their fellow artisans to craft pieces of unprecedented quality. From ancient times to the present, here is the first comprehensive survey of the art of marquetry and a careful selection of marquetry masterpieces their history, tools, and techniques, reproduction, and restoration by some of the greatest cabinetmakers and marqueters in the world.