People called Agnes Paul-Depasse crazy when she decided to practise straw marquetry 25 years ago

High up in the mountains of Switzerland, Agnes Paul-Depasse has only the stunning views, her ponies, and occasionally her husband to keep her company at home as she works on each Hermes watch dial. No distraction is allowed, she says, because perfection is all but expected.

A specialist in some of the rarest and most delicate marquetry crafts in the world, she has devoted the past 15 years to creating some of the French maison’s finest artistic dials. 

Among them are the Arceau Marqueterie de Paille and Slim d’Hermes La Source de Pegase watches, which are realised through straw marquetry. Showcasing silk thread marquetry are the Arceau Mon Premier Galop and Arceau Toucan de Paradis. The Slim d’Hermes Zebra Pegasus creation flaunts a composition that puts pride of place on feather marquetry.

In the face of such extraordinary beauty, one often wonders about the talented hands that achieved them, and what goes behind the scenes. Recently in Singapore on a whirlwind visit, the Unesco Award of Excellence recipient and independent craftsman takes us deep into her world.

1. Hermes defends patrimony

Translating from French to English as “arts and crafts”, metiers d’art is a term that describes rare, ancestral decorative techniques. Out of the 281 crafts recognised by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art in France, a large number is used to embellish lifestyle goods that range from clothing to watches and jewellery to furnishings in the luxury industry.

Paul-Depasse says, “Hermes is the only brand that is truly committed to preserving and protecting them. It supports artisans during their entire life in creativity and production. I see it as more than a brand; it’s a family that’s not making us work for just the money. Many techniques would disappear if Hermes wasn’t there to keep them alive. I’m very honoured to be working for the maison.”

Revealing that she used to face problems early on when she contributed to other brands, she adds, “Many were stealing from me and copying my work. Every craft that I do now, I created it for Hermes because the maison respects my time and leaves me in peace to develop the best practices and techniques.”

2. Precision and fortitude

Marquetry involves cutting up and preparing thin pieces of fine materials like wood and mother-of-pearl to assemble into a pattern on a surface, much like a jigsaw, on items such as furniture and objets d’art. As demanding as it is, Paul-Depasse practises an even more micro form of the technique for watch dials. 

There are more steps in the creation process than one could imagine. “Because different materials react with different types of products, a lot of trial-and-error occurs before I even create the first prototype, and I make numerous before settling on the final. It also takes time to find the perfect technique for each material. For example, I first tried to use the braiding technique for some silk thread dials, but it did not turn out well and I had to change it to something that would give me a flat surface.”

“This kind of art takes a very long time and requires immense control,” asserts the expert as she demonstrates her working process with dyed rye straw. “I cut extremely tiny pieces using a scalpel and make sure the lines are very straight, after which I flatten them using a tool made of beef bone. Then, I glue them on, one by one.”

3. Marquetry is like a form of meditation

For about four hours at a time, Paul-Depasse would be at her workstation, creating magic through a microscope. “Beyond that amount of time, I know my concentration starts to decline. So I stop and go for a walk, then back to work,” explains the expert, who adds that a straw marquetry dial typically requires 25 to 35 hours of work.

“I need to be a hundred times focused, and it feels like you’re in a different dimension. It’s so intense that it takes a special personality and a strong mind to do something like that. It’s like meditation.”

4. She could be the last one standing

Paul-Depasse had considered becoming a dentist or auctioneer early in life, but from her art collector parents and antique dealer stepmother, she learnt to appreciate beautiful historical objects. 

For the steady surgeon hands she’s gifted with, she eventually put them to good use in her chosen profession of woodworking. From there, she picked up the advanced skills of joinery, restoration, and cabinet-making. That led to her taking up the challenge of decorating watch dials, the techniques for which were developed and improved upon by her. 

Currently, there is no other counterpart in her fields dedicated to dial-making except for feather marquetry, she reveals, lamenting that there is only one rice straw marquetry artisan, who’s in his 80s, left in Japan. “His technique could become extinct and it will be a disaster.”

Silk thread marquetry is her innovation, and the inspiration for the Arceau Toucan de Paradis had come to her on a trip to Kyoto. “I visited the kimono factories where there were just one or two people who knew how to weave the cloth by hand. There’s no one left to continue the tradition.”

5. Far from ordinary

Marquetry work can only be accomplished when the materials used are available. And these they are the finest and often rarest of their kind. The rye straw Paul-Depasse employed for the Arceau Marqueterie de Paille and Slim d’Hermes Zebra Pegasus was grown on a specific farm in Burgundy, a region that used to supply it at the height of straw marquetry from the 15th century onwards, when the craft was used to embellish boxes, baskets, screens, and walls.

“The craft disappeared in the 18th century, and was re-discovered in the 1990s by two French cabinet-makers, who started to use them in different ways from the past. There is just one family who is able to grow it now, because it’s a very complicated process. The plants grow 2m high, and have to be harvested by hand, blade by blade. It only takes a storm to lose everything.”

6. Different strokes

Straw can give a 3D effect, and when well done, the marquetry should be very flat and could emulate rays of light and glow like a gemstone, Paul-Depasse says. 

“When I first started doing this with another female artisan 25 years ago, people thought we were crazy and asked how we’re able to survive. But nature is so beautiful and I loved the colours, so I wanted to specialise in it even when it’s difficult. Fortunately, the craft is starting to become pretty famous and people are interested in it again.”

Feathers, meanwhile, can take on the visual properties of silk. For her plumed creations, Paul-Depasse had to source for the right pheasant feathers. “They have to be shiny, very thin, and flawless. I bought so many different kinds but only 10 per cent were selected through a long and tedious process. Also, it took me ages to develop the proper technique as I had to find a glue that wouldn’t go through the vanes. They’re so delicate they’re easily destroyed.”

Since silk scarves are an intrinsic part of Hermes’ long heritage, Paul-Depasse had wanted to showcase the material on a dial. After witnessing how the threads were used in kimono-making, she took nearly four years to bring them to life on a toucan motif. 

“I had to find the perfect floss (threads) that was thin enough, and they’re soft and not straight so it’s tricky to assemble them. However, the twisted structure catches the light and makes it shine. I have to apply a special product on the final work so the floss doesn’t separate.”

Her second silk thread masterpiece is the new Arceau Mon Premier Galop, which has an even more complex production process. The galloping horse motif is more intricate, while the dial had to be accomplished jointly with a leather marquetry artisan from Hermes’ workshop.

7. Perfection or start again

Even when an artisan completes the marquetry, it has to pass the final inspection test. “Compared to other brands I worked with in the past, Hermes expects top quality — it has to be absolutely perfect. Even when I don’t see something wrong through the microscope, I’d be told about this tiny thing in a corner that nobody’s going to notice. They’d say, ‘ But we see it.’”

Paul-Depasse had to remove everything, and start on a new dial. “I just cry my heart out, and redo it again. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often. You suffer for art.”

8. Into the future

Until now, Paul-Depasse has yet to find apprentices to pass her expertise to. “Apart from lack of time, it will be challenging as such marquetry is very technical and requires a lot of patience. Currently, there isn’t a publicly available course where people can learn to do this, and it is not like industrial work where thousands of people are involved.”

On the bright side, she is already working on a few new dial designs, and also looking forward to creating a collection of furniture that would showcase the different techniques she developed through the years.