This video was created for LaunchPad, a program of digital interpretive materials that supplement the viewing of works of art on display in the Art Institute of Chicago's galleries.
In this video, master marquetry artisan Patrice Lejeune reproduces a rose design from one of the drawers of the Art Institute's David Roentgen desk. In this technique, small segments of different colored woods are pieced together in a decorative pattern and laid over a wood base. Wood pieces can also be stained to increase the range of available colors. In this example, the multicolored rose transforms the surface of the desk drawer. This complex process requires great concentration and an exacting hand. He makes it look easy!