Inlay

Mother of pearl inlay into walnut burl on a customised Fender Stratocaster.

Inlay (ivory, red sandalwood, copper) on wooden casket

In a wood matrix, inlays commonly use wood veneers, but other materials like shells, mother-of-pearl, horn or ivory may also be used. Pietre dure, or coloured stones inlaid in white or black marbles, and inlays of precious metals in a base metal matrix, are other forms of inlay. Master craftspeople who make custom knives continue a tradition of ancient techniques of inlaying precious metals; additionally, many new techniques which use contemporary tools have also been developed and utilized as well by artisans.

Intarsia inlay in wood furniture differs from marquetry, a similar technique that largely replaced it in high-style European furniture during the 17th century,[2] in that marquetry is an assembly of veneers applied over the entire surface of an object, whereas inlay consists of small pieces inserted on the bed of cut spaces in the base material, of which most remains visible.

Bronze inlaid with silver: ceremonial flask, China, Warring States period, 3rd century BC.

The history of inlay is very old but it is still evolving alongside new technologies and new materials being discovered today. The technique of metal in metal inlay was sophisticated and accomplished in ancient China as shown in examples of vessels decorated with precious metals, including this ding vessel (pictured) with gold and silver inlay from the Warring States period (403-221 BC).

The French cabinet maker André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) specialized in furniture using inlays or metal and either wood or tortoiseshell together, the latter acting as the background. This type of inlay is known as "Boulle work".

After learning the skill of smithing from the Navaho in 1872, the Zuni silversmiths cut small chips from crystals and gemstones, pearl shell and coral, to make inlay designs in a base of silver.

In 1990, Vivienne Westwood was inspired by Boulle work, the inlay of precious metals into or onto wood to create a collection with inlay in the manner of Boulle.

Sun King Diamond Coating by Jean Boulle Luxury on a Bentley Azure in Monaco[3][4][5][6][7]

In 2016, a subsidiary company of Jean-Raymond Boulle discovered and has filed a patent[8] for a new type of diamond inlay in keeping with Boulle work, subsequently produced by AkzoNobel for application on cars,[9][10] planes[11][12] and yachts.[13]

Cathedral Virgin Mary : inlays in contrasting colours of stones in pietra dura

The natives of Kerma (c. 2500 BCE – c. 1500 BCE) developed techniques for architectural inlays and glazed quartzite.[14][15] Pietra dura is the usual term in Europe for detailed inlays in contrasting colours of stones, including many semi-precious types; parchin kari is an Indian term. Pietra dura developed from the Roman opus sectile, which was typically used on a larger scale, especially in floors. Cosmatesque work on walls and floors, and smaller objects, was a medieval intermediate stage, continuing ancient opus alexandrinum.

Inlaid artifacts have come down to us from the Ancient Mayan civilization, among them, jade, mother of pearl and onyx inlaid into stone during the era that arts reached a peak during the seven centuries from 200 to 900 AD.

Vivienne Westwood created her Portrait Collection based on the furniture of André-Charles Boulle.[16]

Kaloust Guedel Introduced the inlay technique into contemporary painting[17][18]

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  Pre-Dynastic Egyptian bone figure with eyes inlaid in lapis lazuli; inlaid eyes are found in sculptures from many periods
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  Decaying wood inlay on a chest in a Greek monastery.
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  Ding bronze vessel with gold and silver inlay (damascening) from the Warring States period (403–221 BC) of ancient China (c. 300 BC)
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  Egyptian bone plaque of a putto, with wax inlay, 4th century
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  Geometric figure (1537) in wood intarsia by Fra Damiano da Bergamo, Bologna, Italy
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  Parchin kara (pietra dura) in stone on the Taj Mahal
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  Nubian wooden box with inlaid ivory, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
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  Marquetry casket, Ottoman Empire (Istanbul or North Africa), 17th–18th century, wood, tortoise shell, bone, ivory inlay.
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  J. Paul Getty Museum: André-Charles Boulle, 1710, Boulle work inlay
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  The J. Paul Getty Museum. André-Charles Boulle, 1675–1680; Boulle work inlay, Paris, France.
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  J. Paul Getty Museum, André-Charles Boulle, Boulle work inlay
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  J. Paul Getty Museum : André-Charles Boulle, Boulle work inlay tortoiseshell, brass, ebony
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  Commode André-Charles Boulle, son of Jean Boulle (c. 1710–20). Boulle work brass, tortoiseshell inlay.
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  Bidriware cup and lid, c. 1850. V&A Museum.
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  Japanese netsuke in ivory with ink; the eyes are inlaid in shell. 19th century
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  Egyptian basin with silver inlay (Walters Art Museum)
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  Japanese lacquerware Photograph Album Cover with ivory inlay, 1865
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  Japanese: late 19th century, wood with ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl inlays; manjū type
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  Gyerim-ro dagger and sheath, probably originating from the Black Sea region and discovered in a tomb from Silla Kingdom (c. 57 BCE – 935 CE), South Korea. Gyeongju National Museum, Gyeongju.
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  Mother of pearls inlaid furniture set in An Giang Museum, Vietnam.

• Damascening
• Intarsia
• Marquetry
• Mosaic
• Niello
• Parquetry