Paintings in Wood places special emphasis on the techniques of marquetry -- how it is made and the materials used, ranging from turtleshell and brass for "Boulle" work to a variety of European and exotic woods.A historical survey of French marquetry furniture, illustrated with masterpieces from the Wallace and other collections, is followed by a fascinating chapter that reveals some of the sources from which French designs were created. The final chapter examines some of the extraordinary color contrasts that would have been seen when the marquetry was fresh but have now faded.