Sorrento marquetry: history and technique

Sorrento marquetry is the art of composing pictures by fitting together thin pieces of different woods, each chosen for its natural colour. Born in Sorrento's workshops in the first half of the 19th century, it has become the symbol of local craftsmanship: even today, walking through the old town, you come across workshops where boxes, trays, small tables and music boxes take shape in the hands of cabinetmakers.

Origins: from workshop to school

Woodworking in Sorrento has ancient roots, but marquetry as we know it was born around 1830, when the cabinetmaker Antonino Damora began decorating his furniture with two-tone inlays, playing on the contrast between walnut and orange wood and finished with engravings filled with dark filler. His workshop on Via Tasso became a real furniture factory. Working alongside him was Luigi Gargiulo, who saw the value of small inlaid objects: boxes, jewellery caskets and frames, easy to carry home for the foreign travellers who, in the days of the Grand Tour, chose Sorrento for their stays, as told in the history of the town. By the middle of the century workshops filled many of the streets in the centre, and Michele Grandville's employed more than forty workers and won a prize at the 1862 International Exhibition in London.

The fame of Sorrento's masters even reached the court: according to tradition, some cabinetmakers were summoned by the Bourbons to restore the furnishings of the Royal Palace in Naples.

The technique: design, woods and patience

Everything starts with a drawing, which is transferred onto sheets of veneer and cut with a fretsaw into small shaped pieces. The pieces are then fitted together like a mosaic and glued onto a solid wood carcass. Shading is not achieved with paint but by choosing the right woods: walnut, olive, orange, holly, thuja, poplar, ebony and rosewood make up a palette ranging from ivory white to almost black brown. The finest details were rendered with small hand engravings filled with dark filler, and later also by scorching and with Indian ink. Sanding and a finish of shellac or wax bring out the grain.

Over time the technique evolved. In the second half of the 19th century cheaper dyed woods spread, as did "ricacciatura", outlining the design in ink as in French marquetry, which however tends to fade. Simpler still was "enamel on wood", in which the inlay is limited to the outline and the rest is painted in watercolour. Fretwork on solid wood and wood mosaic also became established, the latter inspired by Roman opus tessellatum: strips of different woods were glued into blocks forming geometric or floral patterns, then sliced thinly and applied to furniture.

The subjects: from Pompeii to the tarantella

The first inlayers drew inspiration from the decorative motifs of Pompeii and Herculaneum, then at the centre of European travellers' interest. Then came views of the gulf and scenes of everyday life: fishermen, farmers, traditional costumes and the tarantella dance, which mark the golden age of Sorrento marquetry. In the early 20th century the floral motifs of Art Nouveau were added. Today craftsmen also use new tools, without abandoning the tradition handed down by their predecessors.

Where to see marquetry in Sorrento

• Museobottega della Tarsialignea: in Palazzo Pomarici Santomasi, an 18th-century residence on Via San Nicola a few minutes' walk from Piazza Tasso, it holds 19th-century furniture and objects, with works by Damora, the Gargiulo family and Grandville, and explains how the techniques developed.
• Museo Correale di Terranova: it preserves the marquetry collection of Salvatore Gargiulo, known as Saltovar, with pieces from the golden age of Sorrento inlay.
• Workshops in the centre: along Via San Cesareo and the surrounding lanes there are workshops and shops. To buy wisely, choose workshops where you can see the craftsman at work and ask which woods were used.

Check opening hours and tickets on the official websites: www.museomuta.it and www.museocorreale.it. Together with limoncello, an inlaid object is one of the best-loved local products to take home.