French Marquetry Cues

Possibly the most interesting cues in the Heritage Collection are the cues described as being 'French Marquetry cues. They are certainly worth their own artcle to show them. The fine examples in the collection are illustrated below.

 Note these pictures are large files to allow the full quality of the workmanship to be appreciated and therefore they may be slow to load.

0317 Billiard Cue 0318 French Billiard Cue 0319

ref 317 -318 319

The above pictures show the inlay work and colours of the inlays from different views of the same cue.Some of the intricate veneer work can just bee seen, on the centre picture, where the butt section and shaft of the cue are joined.

0325 Marquetry Billaird Cue 0333 

ref 325 - 333

The cue shown in picture 325, not only has wood inlay work but also thin brass wire round the wood inlay as well as other shaped brass pieces, again it has a fancy series of splices between the shaft and butt sections. The inlay work on the cue in picture 333 is very fine with details finishing in delicate swirls.

0335 Snooker Cue  0328 French Billiard Cue

ref 325 - 328

We think that the more simple inlay on the cue in picture 335 is probably ivory but it could be bone. The work is done on a hand spliced ebony butted cue. The cue in picture 328 has some interesting work of figures and flowers.

0338 French billiard Cue  0343 Marquetry Cu

ref 338  -  343  

The inlay of flowers and stem with a mother of pearl inserted veneer on the cue in picture 338 is particularly attractive. The figure inlayed in the cue in picture 342 seems to be of well armed soldier, sadly the colours have some what faded and so the image has lost some of the detail that the colours would have given it.

0341 Cue   0342

ref 341   -  342

The two pictures above are of the same cue showing the two sides which have 'flats'. The cue maker made one with a bone or ivory veneer the other with an exotic hardwood veneer. 

© E.A. Clare & Son Ltd. 2018. © Peter N. Clare 2018
Reproduction of this article allowed only with the permission from E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.

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