But for whatever reason they inadvertently got overlooked until our graphics editor discovered them in a "B & G to do" folder. So, although a little way out in time scale from their originally intended publishing dates, they are here at last for you to enjoy and appreciate with us.

Let's start with picture number 1.

The picture by Buchschmid and Gretaux is titled, we believe, "Tall Stories"and is one of the Group 1 larger picture series.

This is the first example of this B & G picture that we have seen - and we are pleased to say that it is a rather attractive looking wood inlay picture. It is also good to see a "Letter of Guarantee" issued by Otto Chlup himself accompanying this picture.

Otto was always very careful and selective with his documentation, so a guarantee from Otto is always a good way of verifying original and genuine B & G wood inlay pieces.

And talking of Otto Chlup, the next picture we have here is a view of the Neckar River at Heidelberg made by the hand of, and signed by, no other than Herr Otto Chlup himself. Otto, as you probably know, was the third arm of the Buchschmid and Gretaux Wood Inlay Company triumvirate.

Otto often helped with the production of Buchschmid and Gretaux wood inlay work, and sometimes would produce wood inlay work under his own name, which is the case here. We do not see many Otto Chlup wood inlay pieces, so it is very pleasurable to find a fine example here.

Otto has obviously made use of the Buchscmid and Gretaux "Neckar River, Heidelberg" template in his reproduction of that particular picture or design. But it is none the worse for it. Otto made a splendid job of the job, and merits approval of his work in goodly measure.

We also like the descriptive label attached to the rear of the picture, it is very comprehensive and gives a good history of the important buildings to be found in Heidelberg.

Our next picture is a lovely wood inlay picture of a scene in Hamburg. However, this picture doesn't appear to have originated from the studios of Buchschmid and Gretaux - or even Otto's ABC Studios.

The original spelling of the text seen on the label on the reverse of the picture, rather points to the picture originating from perhaps Germany itself. We have adjusted the spelling so that it reads correctly, but the original text is as follows:

"Scenes of Germany Finest Inlayd Work Entirely Made by Hand of Various Natural Colred Woods of All The World"

Obviously this is no guarantee that our assumption of the picture's origin is correct, however, it does seem likely given the various clues such as the style of the work and the Gothic nature of the type face used.

If you know anything about this picture which could help us to identify the maker and origins of this picture, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

Just click the enquiry reply box on the column on the right if using Windows or E-mail info@marquetry.org if using any other system, and enlighten us - and all our many web visitors - with an answer to that puzzling Hamburg wood inlay picture origin question.

Our fourth piece for June is a superb reproduction of the beautifully detailed "Stuttgart" by Buchschmid and Gretaux.

Once again we find the Prancing Horse logo on this picture.

There is a history to this, and here it is:

"For the first 3 years of Porsche production there was no symbol on the cars, only the separate block letters spelling out the company name on the front and rear. In 1952 Ferdinand Porsche was visiting the American east coast Porsche distributor Max Hoffman; and Hoffman suggested the firm needed some sort of symbol or mascot on the cars. Ferdinand said, “How about this?” and proceeded to sketch the heraldic shield of the House of Wurtenburg on a napkin. Then he overlaid the coat of arms of the town of Stuttgart, where his company had been based for 15 years. This coat of arms included a rampant horse.  It isn't mentioned whether the stag horns on either side are part of the Stuttgart coat or the Wurtenburg shield. Hoffman liked the look, Porsche took the napkin back to Erwin Komenda, design chief and the father of the 356 and soon to be 550 Spyder. Komenda cleaned it up and thus was born the Porsche Crest

As for Ferrari, it seems that Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Circuito del Savio in 1923. As a result he was introduced to the local royalty, Count and Countess Barracca. Their son had been a celebrated Italian ace in WW1 and flew with a black rampant stallion painted on the side of his biplane.

Information on the valuation of Wood Inlay or Marquetry pieces

Please note that we (The Marquetry Society) are unable to give market reference valuations on any marquetry, or wood inlay works, or pieces of any kind.

Any such value information as we do give on this web site has been derived from references to published information made available by the appropriate auction houses.

If you wish to obtain an accurate valuation for your wood inlay or marquetry piece/s, we would recommend you approach a relevant auction house for an up to date and accurate current valuation assessment.

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