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

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Editorial Reviews

Review

In the more than 30 years that the Massachusetts woodworker Silas Kopf has been making furniture including Music Cabinet, 1990, he has established himself as a recognized master of marquetry, the art of taking diverse species of wood and piecing them together to form patterns and images. Distinguishing the technique from inlay, which it often resembles in the result, Kopf explains, "In marquetry a veneered sheet is pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle, including the background of the picture or design. The whole is then overlaid onto a thicker backing." In this thoroughly engaging book, Kopf traces his evolution as a craftsman within a broad survey of his discipline from ancient Egypt to the present. He discusses and includes illustrations of Italian Renaissance intarsia work, French examples, among them the 17th-century work of André- Charles Boulle and Art Nouveau gems by Emile Gallé and Louis Majorelle, and noteworthy pieces from Germany, England, Holland, Austria and the United States.

As a college student in the 1970s majoring in architecture, Kopf was drawn to woodworking, and an important early influence from the growing field of American studio furniture was Wendell Castle (see page 58), with whom he apprenticed for two years. Once marquetry had captured Kopf's interest, a vital step in his growth was a stint at the Boulle school in Paris, where he mastered the techniques that form the basis of his modus operandi to this day. It was also in Europe that he encountered in museums the masterpieces of marquetry that proved to be inspriartional for his own work. He was particularly attracted to trompe l'oeil and portraiture-both of which he has used (sometimes to comic effects), depictions of nature, such as Hadley Chest with Tulips, 1988, and abstract patterns. Challenged by the "artistic limitations" of marquetry--specifically, wood's limited color range--Kopf approaches his designs as a painter would a canvas, always eager to display the uniqueness of wood.

Though there is a risk for a contemporary maker in presenting one's works alongside past masterpieces, Kopf's hold their own, perhaps because of their intellectual aspect. " The fact that Kopf has written a history of his discipline is a sign of the fundamentally self-reflective nature of Kopf's practice," Glenn Adamson writes in the introduction. " It is an attitude that is consistant with his pieces of furniture, which are meditation on the relation between maker, object, and image." This book is of great value not least for its rare glimpse inside a furniture maker's head as Kopf narrates his odyssey piece by piece. And, as with " any piece of marquetry," Adamson writes, " the whole is more than the sum of its parts." --American Craft Magazine, October 2008

A Marquetry Odyssey by Silas Kopf Steve Latta

It is always a pleasure to read a work written by an author who has clear mastery of his subject matter. Such is the case with A Marquetry Odyssey written by Silas Kopf. In his introduction, Kopf states that his goal as a furnituremaker has always been to make "beautiful " and "interesting" objects. This book is full of such works both by Kopf and the many experts from the past who influenced both the development of the craft and the author's personal odyssey towards mastering his form and finding his voice as an artist. In his book, Kopf introduces such masters as Emile Galle, Jean-Henri Riesner, and David Roentgen who each added their unique signature to the practice of marquetry. Kopf explores the work of Andre-Charles Boulle, renowned for his incorporation of precious materials such as brass, pewter and tortoiseshell into his elaborate designs. In this technique, contrasting materials are cut in stack form with the pieces redistributed to form the final image. In works such as Boulle Cabinets with Daffodils (1992) Kopf illustrates his own mastery of this technique. While studying in Paris under the watchful eye of Pierre Ramond, Kopf learned the "piece by piece" method for cutting marquetry that allows multiple images to be made from a single "stack", layers of veneer sandwiched together. In his piece Formication,(1991) 108 identical ants, cut in nine stacks of twelve images each, parade in opposite directions across the eight panels of the case. Kopf is known for his trompe-l'oeil, or "trick of the eye", work. His travels through Italy studying early Italian Intarsia provide an understanding as to why Kopf became so enamored with this style. The Gubbio studiolo, a small, odd-shaped room, which is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a wonderful example of this fanciful work. Kopf's piece, Phone Cabinet I,(1989) shows his comfort with the style and his characteristic wit. Readers should be aware that this is not a "how-to" book. Although there are technical explanations throughout the text and an extensive appendix at the end explaining the various methods, knowledge of the craft as a whole as opposed to instruction is the purpose of his writing. Kopf's instructional dvd, The Master Techniques Of Marquetry, released in 2004, serves as a much better resource for those interested in learning the craft. Kopf's work has always had an inviting, comfortable feel despite the technical difficulty required in its execution. Not surprising, the same can be said for his book. It is a fulfilling visual and educational experience delivered in a friendly, conversational manner. Additionally, the scope and depth of Kopf's work presented in these pages is overwhelming. As a fellow craftsman, I am grateful for what he has accomplished to date and anxious to see his future endeavors. --Fine Woodworking Magazine, October 2008

Product Description

A rich history of marquetry is presented in context by one its most ardent and talented proponents-- Silas Kopf, himself a distinguished cabinetmaker for more than thirty years. Foreword by Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies and Deputy Head of Research, Victoria Albert Museum, London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Hudson Hills Press (September 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555952879
• ISBN-13: 978-1555952877
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must book for veneer lovers, September 22, 2008

By	Tal G. Siegmann (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major Contribution, September 16, 2008

By	Loy D. Martin (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stuning book, September 11, 2008

By	Brent G. Longtin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.