The art of fine cabinet making for exceptional scissors
Working with mother-of-pearl is not the work of scissor makers or cutlers, but that of fine cabinet makers. A highly developed activity in Paris until the 18th century, it became afterwards the speciality of the town of Méru. According to tradition, the child-minders of these craftsmen came from this town in the Oise. The fact is that, during the whole 19th century, the most beautiful mother-of-pearl scissor handles were made in Méru and the surrounding towns, Andeville, Lardières, Corbeil-Cerf. The excellent craftsmanship was exported all over the world.
On the left: these mother-of-pearl handled scissors, showing both sides, depict a Grognard, a soldier from Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, with his arm in a sling, while the other figure is a sapper carrying an axe. Note that both the front and back are finely chiselled in a single piece of mother-of-pearl, large enough for the handle and character to be carved in one piece.
On the right: admire the exquisite detailing of the feathers on these two griffins as well as the lacework on the outer edge of the eye rings. To create such masterpieces, the cabinet maker would start with a life-size drawing, with openwork areas marked in red ink. Each hole was then drilled using an awl, allowing a fine saw to pass through. The engraving was done with small chisels, burins, and gouges. At times, after hours of delicate work, an unfortunate slip or flaw in the material could mean the loss of many hours of labour...
The abolition of trade associations in support of scissor-making
Trade associations were abolished under the French Revolution. Before this time, allocation of tasks was strictly regulated. Only certain artisans had the right to work with such noble materials as whale, tortoiseshell, ivory, bone, horn, and exotic woods like “ebony, kingwood, garnadille, rosewood, boxwood, and other precious woods from the Indies,” as well as mother-of-pearl and amber. Highly developed in Paris until the 17th century, fine cabinet making later became the speciality of Méru, in the Oise. Here, a graceful pair of scissors represents two chimeras back-to-back.
See the Sajou embroidery scissors from the Private Collection, inspired by mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and veined ivory.
