Of Mosaic in wood, that is, of Tarsia; and of the Compositions that
are made in Tinted Woods, fitted together after the manner of a
picture.
§ 100. _Inlays in Wood._
How easy a thing it is to add some new discovery to the inventions of
the past, is clearly shown to us, not only by the aforesaid fitted
pavement, which without doubt comes from mosaic work, but also by these
same tarsias and the figures of many different things, that closely
resembling mosaic and painting have been made by our elder artists out
of little pieces of wood, variously coloured, fitted and joined together
in panels of walnut. This is called by the moderns ‘lavoro di commesso’
(inlaid work) although to the elder artists it was tarsia. The best
specimens of this work were to be found in Florence in the time of
Filippo di Ser Brunellesco and afterwards in that of Benedetto da
Maiano, who, however, strangely enough judged tarsia a useless thing and
completely abandoned it as will be told in his Life. He, like the others
of past times, executed tarsia in black and white only, but Fra Giovanni
of Verona who was very proficient in the art improved it greatly, giving
various colours to the woods by means of dyes in boiling water and of
penetrating oils, in order to produce the lights and shadows with these
variously tinted woods, as in the art of painting, and skilfully putting
in the high lights by means of the very white wood of the silio.[260]
This work began in the first instance with designs in perspective,
because the forms in these end with plane angles, and the pieces joined
together showed the contours, and the work appeared all of one flat
piece, though it was made up of more than a thousand. The ancients
worked however in the same manner with incrustations of fine stones: as
is plainly seen in the portico of St. Peter’s, where there is a cage
with a bird and all the details of the wooden bars etc., on a ground of
porphyry inlaid with other different stones.[261] But, because wood is
more pliant and much more amenable for this work, our masters have been
able to make more abundant use of it and in the way that best pleased
them. Formerly for making the shadows they used to scorch the wood with
fire on one side, this imitated shade well; but others afterwards have
used oil of sulphur and corrosive sublimate and preparations of arsenic,
with which substances they have obtained the hues that they desired, as
is seen in the work of Fra Damiano in San Domenico in Bologna.[262] And
because such a line of work consists only in the choice of designs that
may be adapted to it—those containing blocks of buildings and objects
with rectangular outlines to which force and projection can be lent by
means of light and shade—it has always been exercised by persons
possessing more patience than skill in design. And thus it is that
though many things have been produced in this line, such as
representations of figures, fruit, and animals, some of which are in
truth most life-like, yet since it is a work that soon becomes black and
does not do more than counterfeit painting, being less than painting,
and is also of short duration because of worms and fire, it is
considered time thrown away in vain to practise it, although it may
indeed be both praiseworthy and masterly.[263]