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https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/jul/16/rare-find-17th-century-paper-cutting-sutton-house-london?CMP=twt_a-culture_b-gdnculture>
"Rare examples of 17th-century decorative paper-cutting found amid debris at a
historic house in east London that was part of what was known as “the ladies’
university” are to go on display.
Eight examples of the art form have been identified, including a hen
embellished with coloured silk and a tiny folded star. They were discovered on
a lintel where they are assumed to have settled after falling between
floorboards about 350 years ago.
Experts believe that girls attending a school based at Sutton House in Hackney
were taught the art of intricate paper-cutting and folding along with other
crafts such as embroidery and needlework.
Designs were cut from books using tiny scissors, knives and pins, and then
hand-coloured to use as decorations on boxes, bowls and other items.
“It’s an art form that is discussed in 17th-century domestic manuals, but there
is very little material survival – only three examples from 17th-century
England, of which this is one,” said Isabella Rosner, an expert in modern
material culture.
The girls were taught decorative arts alongside reading, writing, arithmetic,
French, housekeeping, music and dancing. “They were learning to create
something beautiful, and it required patience, dexterity and artistry,” Rosner
said.
The work was akin to the popular art of Japanning – imitating Asian lacquer
work – but instead using cutouts, watercolours and varnish.
Hannah Woolley, the author of household management books such as
A Guide to
Ladies (1668) and a skilled paper-cutter, is believed to have taught at Sutton
House girls’ school. The surviving examples of paper-cutting were probably
“carried out by preteen and teenage girls under her tutelage”, said Rosner."
Via Christoph S, who wrote "So cool".
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*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
