Often in books or articles you can find the words "inlaid" or "inlay." Often about furniture and various objects of art they say: “inlaid with gold”, or “silver”, or “precious stones”. But what does that mean? You will find the answer in the article, and in addition, you will learn how to perform inlay yourself.
What does this mean
Inlay is a kind of mosaic when patterns from plates of another material, most often precious metals, are applied to the wooden base by cutting. The name of this type of art comes from the Latin word incrustatio, which means “cover”.
Inlays should be flush with the wooden surface of the product. A variety of materials are used for coating:
- metals;
- gems;
- marble;
- ceramics;
- wood;
- Ivory;
- nacre.
Inlay is a phenomenon known since ancient times and successfully developing to this day.
In antiquity
In many countries of the Ancient East, inlay served as a complement to the elements of architecture and decoration of statues (in particular, eyes were used with this technique).
Masters of Ancient Egypt were famous for their ability to decorate various ebony objects with inserts of precious stones, ivory, blue and white faience. So it turned out richly inlaid furniture, as well as sarcophagi, chests, caskets, etc.
In ancient Greece and Rome, ivory was used mainly, which was very valuable and very difficult to process material. Plant and animal ornaments, sometimes human figures, were carved from it. Usually, objects made of plain material were decorated like this.
In the Middle Ages
In the XI-XIII centuries. the era of the Italian Renaissance breathed new life into the ancient traditions of art, including the design of finished products. The masters performed the most difficult work on the manufacture of intricate patterns and panels, which were applied to the architectural structures of white stone. As inlay materials, precious stones and marble were mainly used.
At this time, the famous and unusually complex Florentine mosaic appeared, in which the effect of this picturesque canvas is achieved using a special combination of colors and shades of ornamental stones.
Not only metals and stones
Inlay is a multifaceted area of ​​decor, and it has its own subspecies. These include the following surface decoration techniques:
- notch (metal to metal);
- marquetry (veneer, or single-layer facing plywood, wood);
- intarsia.
We will dwell on the latter variety separately. Intarsia is a tree inlaid with wood. The base is made of plates of another type of wood, which must necessarily differ in color and structure. The basis is usually a tree of dark species, and decoration - light.
A similar technique originated in Ancient Egypt, and reached its heyday in medieval Italy. This art was used mainly for mosaic decoration of church architecture and interior decoration.
Intarsia is widely used in contemporary art decor along with other types of inlay.
A separate, most modern type of inlay can be called decoration with rhinestones. There are three methods for applying shiny rhinestones:
- hard surface (plastic, metal, glass, ceramics);
- textiles (clothes, shoes, bags, etc.);
- human body (crystal tattoos).
In each case, its own characteristics and limitations apply, but all three methods are combined using a special glue, on which miniature crystals are attached.
Inlay with rhinestones is a very painstaking and delicate work, for which a variety of tools are used, from tweezers to toothpicks.
Inlaid ourselves
If you have an interest in art craft, you can do it yourself. Home-made inlaying is not very difficult.
Wizards apply two methods, depending on the size and complexity of the insert.
The first way is for a simple drawing:
- Determine the size, shape and location of the insert.
- Cut out the part.
- Put it on the surface of the product and draw a contour with a sharp tool.
- According to the drawing make a notch (nest).
- Put the insert there.
The second method is for openwork ornament, when the insert is small in size and complex shape:
- A drawing is applied to the base.
- A shallow incision is made along its contour.
- A notch with slightly beveled edges is selected with a cutter.
- The surface of the bottom and back of the inserts are roughened for better grip.
- Customize the inserts in accordance with the recesses.
- Fix the insert with special glue.
- The surface is carefully leveled.
DIY wood inlay can be done without any special tools. But the process is not easy and time consuming. The result does not disappoint: you get an unusual and stylishly decorated product, whether it is furniture, kitchen utensils or decorative items.
Often, artists imitate inlays - when colored pastes mixed with glue are applied to the indentations in the wood. Thus, you can create the effect of tortoise shell, ivory, ebony, as well as precious stones: malachite, turquoise, etc.
The inlaid craft, which originated in the Ancient World, remains relevant and in demand in contemporary art decor.