1 9 2 7 . ▁ ▁Te chni ques ▁Mar quet ry ▁was ▁an ▁old ▁technique ▁which ▁was ▁continued ▁by ▁N ye ▁and ▁Bart on ▁to ▁create ▁images ▁such ▁as ▁birds ▁or ▁but ter f lies . ▁ ▁St ick ware ▁and ▁half - square ▁m osa ic ▁was ▁invent ed ▁by ▁James ▁Bur rows ▁in ▁about ▁ 1 8 3 0 : ▁a ▁bunch ▁of ▁wooden ▁st icks ▁of ▁different ▁colours , ▁each ▁having ▁tri angular ▁or ▁diam ond - sh aped ▁cross ▁section , ▁were ▁tight ly ▁gl ued ▁together ; ▁in ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁stick ware , ▁the ▁resulting ▁block ▁was ▁d ried , ▁then ▁turned ▁to ▁form ▁an ▁article ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁base ▁of ▁a ▁p inc ush ion . ▁For ▁half - square ▁m osa ic , ▁thin ▁s lices ▁were ▁taken ▁from ▁the ▁composite ▁block , ▁and ▁applied ▁to ▁a ▁surface . ▁ ▁T essel ated ▁m osa ic , ▁was ▁a ▁development ▁by ▁James ▁Bur rows ▁of ▁half - square ▁m osa ic ; ▁it ▁was ▁adopted ▁by ▁George ▁W ise ▁and ▁Edmund ▁N ye . ▁Min ute ▁t ess era e ▁were ▁used ▁to ▁form ▁a ▁wide ▁variety ▁of ▁geometric ▁and ▁p ict orial ▁designs . ▁ ▁Many ▁sorts ▁of ▁wood ▁were ▁used ▁for ▁the ▁various ▁colours ; ▁about ▁ 4 0 ▁were ▁in ▁regular ▁use . ▁Only ▁natural ▁colours ▁were ▁used ; ▁green ▁was ▁provided ▁by ▁" green ▁o ak ", ▁produced ▁by ▁the ▁action ▁of ▁fung us ▁on ▁fallen ▁o ak . ▁Design