( INTARSIA is also known as MARQUETRY )

This image of Divine Mercy is altogether different from a brush painting on either board or canvas. It is made entirely from wood -- a process known as "Marquetry". Marquetry is described as the art of assembling rare and exotic wood veneers to form a picture or make a decorative pattern. It has very ancient origins: the early Egyptians were highly skilled in decorative marquetry techniques; a classic example, a marquetry casket discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamen. This item was inlaid with ebony wood and ivory, a basketweave in herringbone pattern.

Early European examples were made from clefted wood 1/4" thick. This limited the form of decoration to parquetry, basketweave, and simple floral motifs.

Monasteries in Northern Italy kept the Art alive throughout the dark ages "Intarsia" the term used to describe the process, is used in Italy, France and Germany. One Order of monks from a locality near the city of Siena, "The Olivetans of Monte Oliveta" become the first group of Artisan monks to devote their entire lifetimes to work in Intarsia. Their work can still be seen in Verona, in the Church of "St. Anastasia" though slightly faded with age. These men, masters of their art, went wout through Northern Italy to decorate the churches. Among the great masters of this monastic art are two Dominican Friars, Fra Domino-da-Bergamo and Fra Giovanni-da-Verona, 1455-1524. They obtained remarkable realism in their pictures using oil of sulphur, mercury, arsenic, urine and gall nuts to dye their woods.

Their work can still be seen in the churches of St. Pietro of Perugia and S. Domenico at Bologna in panels depicting biblical scenes, though again, somewhat faded.

Marquetry as a form of Church decorative art has, to our knowledge, not been used since then -- as it requires considerable skill and infinite patience.  That is, until now, in this image of the Divine Mercy.

The voyages of discovery added enormously to the marquetarians "pallate". Exotic woods from the tropical rain forests of Africa and the New World gave that added extra color which produced effects almost equal to painting as seen in the reign of the Bourbon kings of France where marquetry was given an extra boost which lasted for two centuries.

Both of these methods, the artisan's knife and the sewing saw were used in composing this image of "The Divine Mercy". This picture took twelve weeks to make and polish to a full bodied shine. The base on which it is laid is 9mm mahogany marine plywood and the glue used is animal glue obtained from hooves, hids and bones of cattle. This glue has been used by traditional craftsmen for countless centuries.

The polish used was transparent french polish, again a traditional finish respected by craftsmen for generations. This polish has been known to last on furniture for 120/150 years with an occasional application of bees-was polish.

Approximately 1800 individual pieces of various wood veneers have been used to construct the picture and no coloring of any kind has been used to obtain the desired effect. The only effort at coloring that is allowed by the "Marquetry Society" in their competitions is "sand shading". This technique has been used on the hands, face, feet and around the cord of the garment. The process is a simple one -- a small tray of sand is heated on an electric ring or stone. Then the selected pieces of veneer, held in tweezers, are dipped in the hot sand, perhaps 2 or 3 times, until the desired shade is reached. This sand shading technique can be seen on some of the oldest surviving pieces of antique Marquetry.

Twelve different contrasting wood veneers were used in the composition of this picture; some native woods and some from the tropical rain forests:

• Irish walnut which grew in grounds of Erne Hill House, Belturbet, County Cavan, and which were felled in the late 1940's was used in depicting the cut stone doorway. This tree was more than 150 years old.
• Bombay Rosewood, a very rare and expensive tropical rain forest wood, was used in the door. This wood, when worked upon, has a beautiful perfume.
• English ash was the best suited wood to make the garment. This pale veneer wsa cut from trees not more than 50 years old. The highlights depicting the creases and the wedge shaped pieces around the edges were taken from ash trees 150-160 years old.
• Beech veneer, traditionally used to portray flesh color was used to portray hands, feet and face.
• Brazilian Rosewood, another tropical wood which is becoming rather scarce, was used in depicting the hair and beard, with highlights of sand shaded willow.
• English willow was also used in the fingernails and toenails.
• Canadian birch was used in the waist cord and narrow collar of the garment.
• Adaman Padouk, another rare and exotic rain forest wood, perhaps one of the richest red colored woods known, was used to simulate the wounds in the hands and feet.
• Avodire, an African wood, seemed best suited to use in making the door hinges and door bolt with the help of some sand shading.
• Sycamore, an ivory white wood, was the choice for the halo with a contrasting fringe of utilic mahogany.