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By Tiago Reis, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile
About 3 min read
At first glance, the Hoopoe Picture looks like a painting. Only when we get closer do we realise there isn't a single brushstroke. It's all wood. And then the piece changes completely.
The Hoopoe Picture is a work of marquetry by Jacky Cavallari, who trained at the École Boulle in Paris and is today one of the few living masters of this art. The bird is built up veneer by veneer, using the same technique as the traditional marquetry practised in the 18th century.
So what exactly is marquetry?
Marquetry is the art of composing images by fitting together very thin veneers of wood in different tones, cut so precisely that the joins disappear. In this picture, in brown, Jacky Cavallari used twenty-five wood veneers, including maple, plane, ebony and tulipwood dyed black.
I really love this part. Every tone we see in the Hoopoe comes from a wood chosen to be there. There's no possible shortcut. If a veneer doesn't fit, you start again.
Why did this piece make me stop?
There's something stubborn, in the best sense, about someone who keeps working like this. Marquetry demands a precision that time cannot hurry, and Jacky Cavallari accepts that rule completely. You can feel it in the picture, veneer by veneer.
And then there's the Hoopoe. A bird that always seems to have an ancient secret to tell and that, when it perches still on a branch, leaves you feeling that freedom has its own colour, shape and rhythm. Choosing this bird for such a patient technique doesn't strike me as an accident.
Who is this picture for?
For people who love objects that reward a second look. From afar, a beautiful image. Up close, a lesson in patience. It's hard not to be moved when you realise how much work fits into every centimetre of this wood.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hoopoe Frame?
A wooden picture depicting a hoopoe, composed entirely in marquetry: thin sheets of wood fitted by hand, without any painting.
Who is the maker?
Jacky Cavallari, one of the few living masters of marquetry, trained at the École Boulle in Paris.
What does the technique involve?
Traditional 18th-century marquetry: fitting very thin wood veneers by hand. There is no paint; the colour is the wood itself.
What materials were used?
Twenty-five different woods, both natural and dyed, such as maple, sycamore, ebony and tulipwood dyed black.
Why is it a rare piece?
It represents an almost extinct craft that demands exceptional skill and entirely manual work. Few artisans command marquetry at this level.
What are the dimensions of the frame?
About 20 cm long by 12 cm wide, a format designed to bring out the detail of the composition.
