trompe l’oeil image with naturally colored woods. The workshop of
Giuliano da Maiano (1432–90), who was a woodworker, architect, and
one of the most celebrated intarsiatori of the fifteenth century, probably
produced the intarsias of the Gubbio studiolo (Raggio 1992). The three-
dimensional illusion of the panels results from the application of the rules
of linear perspective combined with a thorough understanding of the deli-
cate play between light and shadow. The extremely skillful craftsmanship of
the woodworkers is best illustrated with some intarsia details that reveal
the precision and subtleties of the inlay (Fig. 2).Abasic form of intarsia is called intarsia a toppo:repetitive, geometric
decorations created by inlaying complicated, often symmetrical patterns
into a walnut substrate or matrix. The designs were often simple. The
woodworkers laid them out with measuring tools such as rulers, squares,
and compasses. The more elaborate intarsia images required design draw-
ings and cartoons. Generally the painters, who often collaborated with
woodworkers on other projects as well, supplied the designs and cartoons
for figurative intarsias. Alessio Baldovinetti (1425–99), for example, sup-
plied a cartoon for the Nativity panel, which Giuliano da Maiano executed
for the new sacristy of the Duomo of Florence (Haines 1983).
The steps of creating an intarsia panel are not known to have
been recorded; however, examination of the various intarsias suggests that
some were made as follows: The intarsiatori first cut the wood sections to
be inlaid according to a design or cartoon. They used saws, planes, adzes,
chisels, and knives to form these approximately 5 mm thick sections, or
tesserae, into the desired shapes. The next step was to outline, cut, and
ex cavate the matrix wood (usually walnut), so that the various tesserae
could be inlaid into the excavated areas. The intarsiatori typically used a
shoulder knife, first, to set the outline ofthe areas to receive the inlay and,
second, to remove the wood with gouges down to the depth of the first
knife cuts. They next made a new series of knife cuts along the same out-
line and removed more wood down to a depth of about 5 mm. Once the
matrix wood was ready for inlay, the intarsiatori secured the tesserae into
the matrix with hot protein glue or cold casein glue. After this initial
round of inlay, they planed the surface until it was level. By then, a basic
design could be recognized. The use of the shoulder knife caused the walls
ofthe excavated wood to taper slightly, creating a very tight-fitting inlay—
much tighter than that achieved with later marquetry techniques. The
matrix often formed part of the image and therefore, in many instances,
remained partly visible after the work was completed.
The intarsiatori further inlaid the panel to create finer detail,
adding rounds of inlay until satisfied with the final image. They cut
slightly less deeply after each round ofinlay, and each time they planed
the surface of the wood. No known cartoons for intarsias have survived, a
fact that suggests that the cartoons were cut and used during the intarsia-
making process.^8
The intarsia panels from the Gubbio studiolo were made using
these techniques. Locally available woods such as walnut (Juglansspp.)
in various shades, pear (Pyrusspp.), mulberry (Morusspp.), bog oak and
brown oak (Quercusspp.), spindle tree (Euonymusspp.), cherry (Prunus
spp.), and others were part of the “palette” of the woodworkers. These
woods provided a variety of colors and shades, as well as the differentIntarsia Technique in the
Fifteenth Century
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