MOTHER-OF-PERL INLAY
In the back streets of Gaziantep, steeped in the
atmosphere of fairytale, an elderly craftsman, his face burnished
by years in the sun, was giving a final polish to a wooden box inlaid
with mother-of-pearl. This beautiful box would be able to contain
the dreams of everyone, including the Little Prince. Soon it would
be placed in a shop window to draw the eyes of passers-by with its
exquisite shimmering patterns. I followed the old man into his workshop,
where he inlayed all kinds of objects, from coat stands to mirrors,
chairs and tables, but above all boxes, to listen to the story of
his craft.
In Gaziantep mother-of-pearl inlay is used to decorate
every conceivable kind of wooden object. The best wood for inlay
is the local walnut. Did you know that the walnut tree takes photographs?
The craftsman surprised me by explaining that when you cut a paper
thin sliver of wood from a walnut tree over a century old, you find
an image of its surroundings drawn across every layer of wood in
the trunk.
 But
to continue, having made the object to be inlaid and sanded it down
well, the craftsman draws the intricate outline of his design with
practised hand, and the delicate process of inlaying begins. Each
time the motifs and patterns are different, making every piece unique.Having
drawn the design, he cuts out the lines and inserts brass or sometimes
gold or silver wire according to the custom'sgs wishes. The next
step is to cut out the central areas between the stringing to form
shallow recesses for the mother-of-pearl. The quality of the mother-of-pearl
is vital. Although in Gaziantep it is traditional to declare to
a new friend, 'Let us be salt and bread', the presence of salt on
mother-of-pearl is bad news to the inlayer. If salt has collected
inside the mollusc shell, then the mother-of-pearl which lines it
becomes brittle and impossible to work.
Therefore freshwater molluscs, whose mother-of-pearl
becomes milk white when worked, are preferred. However, the finest
quality of all is still mother-of-pearl from the warm tropical seas,
particularly the Red Sea.
 In
his workroom the craftsman carefully breaks the shells into tiny
pieces using pliers, and using a diamond-tipped tool shapes them
to fit the recesses in the wood. The pieces are fixed into place
using a mixture of walnut sawdust and glue. When the work is finished
the piece must be left for at least two days before sandpapering
so that the inlay is flush with the wood. Nitric acid is then applied
and the piece left in the sun all day to dry. To darken the wood
to a chestnut shade or black it is held over a fire after applying
the nitric acid.
Finally it is rubbed with olive oil for a smooth
finish and sandpapered for the last time.
Mother-of-pearl inlay is an art of great antiquity going back to
the Sumerians. This type of decoration was very popular in Ottoman
times, and is to be found on everything from Kuran cases to clocks,
and from tobacco boxes to the wooden pattens worn by women at Turkish
baths. Visitors to Topkapi Palace today can admire the magnificent
mother-of-pearl inlay on one of the imperial thrones, and other
works of art preserved here. As well as inlay, mother-of-pearl is
applied to objects by two other techniques: veneering and macunlama,
or setting in paste.
Whether a verse from the Kuran inlaid in an ebony
panel, elaborate decoration on a hand mirror, or patterns on the
legs of a chair, the incandescent sheen of mother-of-pearl decoration
reminds me of the dreams which captivate us all. When I left the
shop with a mother-of-pearl box in my hands, I was smiling happily.
In my mind's eye I saw a group of children who had returned forlornly
home, having deposited their dreams in a box which could never be
theirs, now running towards me joyfully. For all of us boxes are
irresistible treasure chests of memories, photographs and dreams.
* Nezahat Turkan is a freelance writer
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