Earliest Time In The Evolution Of Art Of Parquetry

Parquetry is studded woodwork for floors which is composed using blocks of wood laid in geometrical regularity. Usually the blocks are produced from the pine tree and the other reproducing patterns made of various strains of wood. Design Parquet is not that much of a traditional but it is a modern form of design.

The Medieval Period (1700 to 1730)

Going back to the medieval Russia, parquetry or piece-work did not exist before the reign of Peter the Great. The "oak brickwork" was popular in medieval Europe with various sizes like rectangular or square blocks of oak laid out like a chessboard or fir tree which was the prototype of modern parquetry. The foreign architects and masters invited to Russia by Peter the Great brought with them the latest artistic ideas and technologies. Wooden patterned floors in particular were the topic of discussion which was just recently coming into fashion. For the first time a building in the new capital was having floors and that had parquetry piecework.

In some of the years, Design Parquet was also used to decorate the palaces of Prince Alexander Menshikov, the Governor-General of St Petersburg. Menshikov’s palace in Oranienbaum even had its own workshop for the manufacture of piecework floors. In 1721, Peter I established a special settlement for these workers on the bank of the River Okhta where they were exclusively employed by Admiralty Shipyard.

During the medieval period, the production of parquet floors required large sums of money and professional masters. It is not an easy task and requires a lot of intricacies and attention. These floors not only fulfilled the purpose but it became more than just a decorative function. It also intended to reflect the wealth of the respective owners of the house.

During 1740 to early 1760

The period of High Baroque has been an important time for parquetry in Russia. Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli was an Italian born in Paris who worked in Russia. He began his career under Anna Ioannovn, the first in a line of Russian empresses. The construction of palaces continued and and Rastrelli built the Peterhof Palace (1747–55) and the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo (1752–56).

The parquet floors of the state apartments were highly decorated with paintings and gilt fretwork. To make the patterns interesting, Rastrelli he combined parquetries with his own original decorative elements like huge stars, circles and friezes. Artists’s Design Parquet created between 1759 and 1761 are complex with the compositions as the other Baroque interior decor.

At the present time, it is hard to believe how far Design Parquet has reached. It is amazing to see the countless designs and patterns to be found in the market. Also, yet in this time and age you will find glimpses of parquetry flooring in mal and restaurant who offer your luxury and pleasure. This design yet continues to show the larger than life lifestyle. This great architectural style is a unique phenomenon in both national and international artistic culture.

Miki Barzig is an author/writer, a Marine Corps veteran and a perpetual student of art, journaling and life. She has written for several national and trade publications and continues to build her library with her own publications.