Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

470 Conservation of Furniture
10.3.6 Faulty construction
Furniture has been manufactured by a wide
range of people. Workers in related fields such
as carpenters, shipwrights and joiners often
made furniture as a sideline. Such furniture,
often made by non-specialists within a vernacular
tradition, may incorporate quirks in
construction that may lead to premature failure
but can also offer an intriguing insight into
social history. Treatment of such ‘faulty’ furniture
must balance the object’s survival against
the need to respect its integrity and preserve
the historical information and value carried
within it. As a general rule conservators do not
‘improve’ objects. The emphasis with such
pieces should be to retain original construction
without interventive improvement. It may be
possible to incorporate supports or add instructions
such as ‘Handle with care’ or ‘Do not
open this drawer’. A similarly cautious
approach may be necessary with the fit of
joints or the geometry of an out of true seat.
The definition of faulty construction carries
with it an inherent value judgement and there
is a danger that today’s conservation treatment
may be tomorrow’s treatment error.
10.4 Veneer, marquetry and boulle
Veneer, marquetry and boulle are considered
together because they all consist of thin sheet
materials applied over a wooden substrate for
decorative effect. The problems associated with
these forms of decoration arise from differential
movement between the surface and the
substrate. This may be compounded by different
orientation in the veneer itself (e.g.
marquetry) or poor adhesion (boulle). Veneer,
marquetry and boulle are vulnerable to
damage and loss as a result of poor housekeeping
practices (e.g. the use of feather
dusters), substrate construction (e.g. cleated
boards) and their proximity to edges (e.g.
veneered drawer rails). Preventive conservation
is essential to ensure the survival of
veneered surfaces, which are likely to suffer
adhesive failure if exposed to excessively low
or cycling RH. Glass covers on tabletops will
prevent damage from dusting and inadvertent
spills. Such glass may need to be heat-treated
or laminated to reduce the chance of injury in
the event of breakage and to conform to relevant
legislative requirements. It is essential
that the substrate is sound before treatment of
surface layers commences.
Technical developments in the production of
veneer are discussed in Chapter 1. Traditional
techniques for repairing damaged veneer,
marquetry and boulle may be found in general
restoration texts, such as Bennett (1990),
Hayward (1967) and Rodd (1976). Specialist
texts on veneering and other related decorative
techniques include Hawkins (1986), Hobbs
(1953) and Ramond (1989). Wilson (1972)
examined the work of Charles Andre Boulle
and the historical techniques used to execute
boullework. Pradere (1991) has reviewed the
work of many significant eighteenth century
French cabinetmakers. Callède and Ostrup
(1984), Edwards (1997) and Kjelland (1997)
have discussed the conservation of marquetry.
ADEN, a group whose research has focused on
developing new treatments for marquetry and
boulle, can be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.ucad.fr
The term ‘boulle’ describes furniture decorated
with a veneer of brass and turtleshell.
Other materials such as copper, pewter, horn
and mother-of-pearl may also be incorporated
into the design. Although Charles Andre Boulle
is credited with popularizing this decorative
form, it was previously known in Italy and was
produced by other ebenistes such as Golle and
Berain. Cutting brass and turtleshell in a sandwich
creates both premier partie (brass design
in a turtleshell ground) and contre partie
(turtleshell design in a brass ground) designs
simultaneously. Boulle furniture was produced
throughout the eighteenth century and the
style was revived in the mid nineteenth
century. As a general rule the turtleshell found
on eighteenth-century furniture is much thicker
than that on nineteenth-century pieces, though
there are occasional exceptions. Boullework is
extremely time-consuming to conserve and
repair – cutting six square inches (150 mm) of
replacement may take up to eight hours. Case
histories of the conservation of boullework
include Considine et al. (1990) and Umney
(1993). The metal elements of boulle designs
were often elaborately engraved and filled with
black or red mastic for added emphasis.
Turtleshell and horn could be coloured by
adding pigment to the glue used to adhere it