The Evolved Chevalet

The chevalet de marqueterie has existed since the 16th-Century, primarily in France, but the horizontal carriage is a more recent addition. Many like to date this change to just before the French Revolution. There is even a folklore legend that has it attributed to Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who initiated the now famous guillotine. In all probability it should be dated from the 19th-Century. The reason the carriage was added in the first place was to precisely cut multiple pieces of veneer at the same time. Before that veneer was hand sawn and very thick. Sometimes as thick as 3/16". I cannot imagine more than 2-3 veneers being cut in a packet and the accuracy between each not a factor because in most cases they would have been inlayed into a background with a chisel and knife. Later, veneer was sawn much thinner by machine allowing more layers to be cut - at least twice as many. Hence, an accurate-cutting chevalet was needed to cut each piece as well as the background precisely. It should be noted that the earliest surviving chevalet de marqueterie in this form is from the 19th-Century because it just did not exist before that.


The two great ebenistes that flourished in Paris just before the French Revolution were Jean-Henri Riesener and David Roentgen. Both employed the relay method in creating their marquetry. This is the same method that was used during the Renaissance. These were highly successful cabinetmakers that adhered to the old ways. There is no evidence that either used the newer chevalet. For instance, if Roentgen had access to it in Paris, it would likewise have appeared in Germany after Roentgen many trips back to Neuwied where he employed over a hundred workers. No cabinetmaker would deny himself a tool that would lower his costs and or increase productivity.

After the Revolution, marquetry furniture fell into decline. All of the great workshops were closed and no one wanted to be associated with anything from the Ancien Régime. It was not until the Second French Empire (1852 to 1870) that marquetry returned to its former glory. It was most likely at this time that the new chevalet appeared and would have been needed. By 1880, Paris had 20,000 workshops and the competition was fierce. It is not hard to understand how one marquetry cutter would have the edge over another with this tool.