marquetry

thumb|Casket, early 18th century, attributed to André-Charles Boulle, oak carcass veneered with [[tortoiseshell, gilt copper, pewter and ebony, in the Art Institute of Chicago]]

Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French marqueter, to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns or designs. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to freestanding pictorial panels appreciated in their own right.