Another Spindler

In my last post I wrote about the Spindler Marquetry Family. There is another Spindler family that many are not aware of. During the eighteenth-century in Germany only 2 families dominated the marquetry trade. One was David and Abraham Roentgen in Neuwied and the other was Johann Spindler with his 3 sons in Bayreuth. The Spindler’s were more well known in their country than Roentgen. They not only produced furniture in the Rococo style, but also wall paneling and flooring. 

 

Between 1764 and 1773, Heinrich Wilhelm Spindler and his older brother, Johann Friedrich produced whole rooms, furniture and flooring of marquetry for King Frederick the Great of Prussia at Potsdam. Their greatest work, however, was the Spindler Room at Fantaisie Palace near Bayreuth (shown above). Today this is only a replica with the original in the Bavarian National Museum Bavarian National Museum in Munich. The wall paneling covers 840 square feet and consists of 18,000 pieces. Native domestic woods were used and many of them were dyed (yellow, green and blue). As was the case in those days lac varnish was used as a finish. All this was created by Wilhelm and Friedrich with the help of only 2 assistants. Wilhelm was the younger of the brothers and was reported working in his father’s workshop when only 12 years old. He may have worked in Paris at a young age for the Mineon Family who were considered a dynasty of craftsman and dealers. Truly amazing.

Spindler Marquetry

The Spindler Family has been creating marquetry for over 100 years in the French countryside not far from the Bavaria border within the walls of the abbey of Saint-Leonard. Closed during the French Revolution when the abbey church was destroyed it became a sanctuary for artists during the nineteenth-century. Charles Spindler (1865-1938), started the family business in 1893 and is pictured below. He was trained as a painter and watercolor artist and attended art schools in Munich and Berlin. He is best known for his pictorial marquetry of the Alsace countryside, but is also known to have created marquetry for French Art-Nouveau furniture as well as smaller objects. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris 1900 and the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis he was artfully recognized. His work is signed using pyrography.

The family business was passed on to his son, Paul Spindler (1906-1980) who continued in his father’s footsteps. Like his father he was a great traveler and often incorporated what he had seen into his art. At the nearby abbey chapel of Mont St. Odile, he produced "The Twelve Stations of the Cross,"a collection of marquetry pictures depicting the final hours of Jesus. On some of his marquetry he used a light varnish finish. His work decorated the original Queen Mary.

Jean-Charles Spindler, Paul’s son, took over the day-to-day operation of the workshop in 1975. His marquetry has been displayed as wall panels, pictures and screens. He uses no paint or varnish to color the wood. He starts by drawing an outline of the basic pattern. After this the veneer is cut from a tree in many locations (he cuts his own veneer). Then it is treated and flattened which takes some time. Each piece is precisely cut and may include 20-30 species of wood. His creations can take up to 5 months to complete. The marquetry is then sold usually in the thousands of dollar range. A large picture measuring 33.5" wide x 44.5" high retails for $6500.

Pricing Your Small Work

This can be as much work as creating the marquetry itself. There are lots of formulas that allow you to come up with an asking price, but these are aimed at the professional who is doing this for a living. One such formula takes what you expect to get paid per year divided by the number of hours you plan to work minus vacation time. This is your hourly rate. Next, figure your cost of materials for each piece including any waste. To this add your projected overhead rate (yearly expenses of doing business such as machine purchases, tools and supplies divided by yearly hours worked). With these factors you can come up with an actual cost outlay. Now you must figure in a profit. It is generally calculated at 30%-50%. So multiply your cost by 1.3-1.5 and then you have a selling price. The one problem here is if the piece is sold in a gallery their commission will cost you your profit so you end up working for an hourly wage only.

I have personally avoided the above by selling my marquetry outright and let the buyer add his profit after I’ve left the building. To expediate the pricing of my marquetry, I have simplified it by multiplying the number of square inches by a factor of 1-3 depending on the complexity of the marquetry. For instance, an 8” X 12” picture with moderate detail might be sold for $144.00 (8 X 12=96 X 1.5 = 144). Another example could be a box 5” X 6” X 4” tall with marquetry on 4 sides and the top. 2 sides 5” X 4”= 40, 2 sides 6” X 4”=48 and a top 5” X 6”=30 adding up to 118. Because of the construction of the box, I would use a factor of 3 resulting in a price of $354.00. This system is very flexible with no effort made in keeping track of time or expenses. It has served me well. I have looked for a better system, but to date have not found one.

Finishing Marquetry

Nitrocellulose lacquers seem to be a favorite of those that do a lot of marquetry. It is not the perfect finish because there are trade-offs. First, it has a tendency to yellow over time (acrylic lacquer would be a better choice). The equipment and space needed can increase your overhead. Then you can have problems with blushing, orange peel and fisheye. Often several coats are needed to get an acceptable finish (too many coats can cause problems like crazing). Thinning the lacquer can be an exacting science and did I mention that the fumes are toxic. Having worked in cabinet shops that make furniture I can tell you that lacquer is not only the preferred choice, but the only choice. Time is money and the less you use of both the more competitive you are. This does not, however, translate into quality. Ask a violinmaker what finish he uses and I bet it won’t be lacquer.

Shellac is similar to lacquer in the way it cures. It has stood the test of time and is used still today. It can be applied in a variety of ways to just about anything including food. Shellac is an organic, naturally occurring substance that will not react to other finishes. Applying it underneath or on top of other finishes provides good adhesion. The drawback is that its amber color (even bleached shellac) will darken when too many coats are applied. I have found that 3 coats are enough to protect any marquetry. Anymore than that it will shrink and tint light-colored woods like maple and holly. It also is not waterproof, but can be easily repaired. Recently, I did a piece of marquetry in one weekend including the finish. It had a medium amount of detail with a protective finish. The keyword here is to protect not idolize a piece of furniture.

There are other finishes like varnish, epoxy and rubbing oil that can be used. The time it takes for them to cure can take anywhere from a few days to months. Some can be repaired while others cannot. It is the function of the finish to not only protect the marquetry, but to enhance the texture and grain of the wood. Putting on layers and layers of finish does not bring out the true qualities of marquetry. If the design is well executed, this should be its focal point. It is said that Jean-Charles Spindler uses nothing more than wax to finish his pictorial marquetry. We should take a lesson from him.

Marquetry Yahoo Group

This group is familiar to some of us and is the place to go if you need answers to your marquetry related questions. There is another group, Marqueterie Yahoo Group, which serves its French-speaking members. You must be able to understand French to get anything out of it. In contrast it gives one the impression that the French take their marquetry serious.

The English group in 2007 had 168 messages from 284 members while the French group had 569 messages from 396 members. As might be expected the latter is devoted almost exclusively to traditional marquetry. Laser marquetry and vacuum bagging not spoken here. What is talked about is chevalet’s, scrollsaws, piece by piece method, patterns and finishing. I believe they have a higher percentage of women than the English group. This is good and there could be a reason for it. When a craft relies on technology to advance its boundaries, women seem to be excluded. This is a natural phenomenon and is not confined to any one group. There are exceptions because talent cannot be suppressed, but marquetry has never been accused of diversity.

I am a member of both groups and feel each has its merits. While one is easier to navigate than the other, the French group is more to my liking. It must be in my blood. My ancestors came from France during the 17th century. My Grandfather continued to speak native French and I learned some from him. I guess that makes me a Francophile.