Intarsia (process)

Decorative wood process in which the design or pattern is made by assembling small pieces of veneer in various shapes. The term, which derives from 15th-century Italy, is commonly used to describe both "marquetry," in which the entire surface is veneered, and "wood inlay," in which the pattern pieces are laid into a solid ground. The term may also be used to refer to similar works of stone, glass, or another material. Distinguished from mosaics, as pieces in intarsia work are precision-cut to tightly fit together.