FANCY WOODS. 167 



luble in that liquid, is soon extracted by it, and then 

 the particles of the wood separate. The best timbers 

 for being placed in water are those containing resins 

 which water cannot dissolve : the viscid juice of the 

 fruit-trees is a gum, and not a resin. 



FANCY WOODS. 



EVEN at a comparatively early stage of the arts, 

 mankind appear to have made use of the bright or 

 variegated colours of wood, to give beauty both to 

 their dwellings and their furniture. The temple built 

 by King Soloman was ^overlaid on the inside with 

 boards of cedar: " all was cedar; there was no stone 

 seen" ; and among the most ancient specimens of 

 ornamental furniture that are to be met with, we find 

 that attempts have been made to heighten the effect 

 by the contrast of various kinds of wood. Although, 

 both in the materials and the designs, these are infe- 

 rior to the productions of modern art, many of the 

 cabinets which are still preserved have much higher 

 claims to notice than their mere aritiq-JHty. 



In all these works a veneer or thit^plate of the 

 fancy wood is laid down in glue, upon a* surface of a 

 plainer description. This process is of course cheaper 

 than if the whole work were made of the solid fancy 

 wood. The beauty of fancy wood arises in many 

 sorts from its being cross-grained, or presenting the 

 fibres endways or obliquely to the surface. These 

 different positions of the fibres, as well as their dif- 

 ferent colours in grained woods, give a clouded and 

 mottled variety to the surface; and when some of 

 the parts are partially transparent, as is the case with 

 fine mahogany, the surface gives out a play of dif- 

 ferent tints, as the observer shifts his place, or the 



