Customer Reviews

A Marquetry Odyssey: Historical Objects and Personal Work, Silas Kopf

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I am a prefessional woodworker specializing in veneer work. I own a few veneering books. Most of the modern books I own describe the very basic of how to work with veneer, basic marquetry and use of vacuum bag. This book takes the reader to another level. Not only does it provide amazing photos of the author's portfolio, but it explains how to go about creating different works of art with ease.

I became acquainted with Mr. Kopf while watching his DVD. It was immediately apparent to me that he is a master craftsman and a great teacher as well. I had high expectations for the book and after reading it I highly recommend it to anyone intersted in veneer work, especially marquetry. The simple approach to explaining how difficult pieces are created gives you confidence and motivation to go out and try it in your own shop.

As a professional woodworker I own many woodworking books, some good, some ... not so good. This one ranks among the best of them.

Silas Kopf's "A Marquetry Odyssey" stands alongside such milestones as George Nakashima's "The Soul of a Tree" and James Krenov's "A Cabinetmaker's Notebook" as one of the finest contributions to the lore of the craft of American studio furniture. Kopf's furniture itself is so visually interesting and delightful that his audience would have been fully content with a volume that merely collected the fruits of his long and varied career into a standard coffee table picture book. What we have is something much richer and more rewarding, offering in both text and images a coherent historical context and intelligible technical explanations for the several phases of Kopf's journey through the many forms of marquetry. This is not an easy project to organize and execute well. The book required long planning and great labor, and we should receive it as the gift that it is. The more self serving enterprise would have been the more familiar "show off" book, but "A Marquetry Odyssey" will still be around when the others have disappeared from the used book stores.

Outstanding book. The photographs are spectacular and there are plenty of them. The author traces the development of marquetry from earliest times through to his own work. There are numerous helpful suggestions for an aspiring wood artist such as how to get an appenticeship, work with galleries, and build a strong foundation in the craft. There is not much detail about how to actually do marquetry. But there are numerous good books on that such as "A Marquetry Course." Be warned though, if you do marquetry, after reading this book you will want to burn your pieces. I'm debating whether to let my customers know of its existance.

I've read about twenty books on Marquetry and Inlay from Lincoln to Taunton press publications. I've enjoyed this book the most from the author's sense of humor to his utmost respect for the previous artisans. This is a book to understand where concepts have developed over the years and to provide inspiration for your own talents. This is not a book if you want to understand details on technique. Short appendixes have been provided for techniques but this is a book to relish in understanding the historical challenges and how the craft has developed. The author's examples provide an example of how you can create your own style based on historical approaches. The ability to create pictures from wood is facinating and makes me realize that drawing skill is a good attribute to add to your tool kit. This was an easy read and I read it twice. My thanks to the author for such an enjoyable book.

Excellent book for those looking for something more with Marquetry. Very well set out and presented keeps the readers interest. Even for the non-practitioner of the Art will find it a fascinating and engrossing book. I would highly recommend this book for advanced Marquetarians that want to expand their fields of endeavorer and creativity.

Mr. Kopf has produced a work that is a treatise and at the same time a coffee table book. It abounds with outstanding photographs of masterfully crafted furniture. Indeed, with his subject matter, a book without pictures would be ineffective, but the photos in Kopf's book go beyond mere illustration.

His commentary of the over one hundred pieces of historic work weaves discussion of construction methods (though descriptions are not overly technical) with rich historical background. The author explores the history of marquetry as extensively as any casual reader would care for, and he does it with authority. The book also features photographs and discussion of at least as many pieces of his own work, which are astounding in their own right.

Mr. Kopf's book is an effectively crafted narrative of his experiences at Ecole Boulle, in the museums and restoration shops of Paris and in the outlying destinations, as well as his first hand encounters with a great deal of 15th century Italian intarsia. He recounts an engaging chronicle of personal development relating the influence these and other experiences had on his own style. The book is aptly subtitled "Historical Objects and Personal Work."

He states that the photos of great marquetry by Boulle and Reisener he had seen in books were spell binding, but that seeing those same pieces in person was truly "liberating." That is to say he saw the work as a result of "patient workmanship," and a "level of craft [that] was attainable." This translates to inspiration.

As a reader of Kopf's book, I find myself the fortunate beneficiary of a similar inspiration, but without the trip to France. To me, a woodworker who has been bitten by the marquetry bug, "A Marqetry Odessey" has been the greatest source of inspiration. (And I must reference the Portrait of Pierre Rosenau by Vassilieffe on page 112. How can anyone can do that with wood?! . . . it is truly amazing.)

"Odessey" is a winner on all accounts, but first and foremost it is inspiring.

Beautiful. A Marquetry Odyssey simply beautiful.

Silas Kopf takes the reader on a well crafted journey. In this large scale work the art/craft of marquerty is presented in a very readable way. Silas weaves history, works and bios of the masters, sketches, wonderful photography, personal stories, humor and a few techniques into a single volume for us all to enjoy.

The book presents the education and development of a master craftsman as it has been interwoven with his discovery of the evolution of marquerty through time. Photos and details of his own furniture are presented throughout the book in an effort to show how these past craftsmen have influenced the development of his own style.

As Silas explains, his hope is to inspire others to explore marquerty and inlay in museums and workshops. I believe he has acheived his goal in this wonderful book.

I would highly recommend this book to all woodworkers, crafts people, decorators, anyone interested in the design and production of fine furniture.

Thank you, Silas.

The art of Marquetry, the art of crafting pictures into wood, is ages old. "A Marquetry Odyssey: Historical Objects and Personal Work" is Silas Kopf's fascinating and informative history of a specialized subject in the field of art. "A Marquetry Odyssey" survey's this art form's long and distinguished history, ranging back from its origins in ancient Egypt down to the present day. Kopf goes into his own work in the field, explaining his influences derived from historical precedent and examples from great Marquetry artists down through the ages. A core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History reference collections, "A Marquetry Odyssey" is an excellent introduction to the art and a thoroughly 'reader friendly" explanation of its roots and origins for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the Marquetry art work.

A Marquetry Odyssey by Silas Kopf is a wonderful book that should be available to guests on the cocktail table and it is an important text that should be in every woodworker's library.

Set on a historical loom of furniture making, Silas Kopf presents his Marquetry Odyssey weaved through the history of man's technological advances in tools, the uses of new found materials, and the historic artists who applied and advanced marquetry techniques. The author presents his own thread of the odyssey through his own masterful work.... work that pushes the craft of marquetry forward just as those who inspired him.

The text is chock full of historical line drawings such as those by J.A. Roubo, excellent color photography of past masters and a wonderful look at the time-traveled portfolio of the author. He is obviously a passionate student turned "Grand Master", of his craft.

A Marquetry Odyssey is a very important text to the craft of furniture making.

I own this book............Neil Lamens, Furnitology Productions