Cutwork (2 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Oblong 8vo. Eight leaves of handmade heavy paper interleaved with text leaves printed on glassine. Each page has a silhouette intricately cut out of black paper and mounted. Bound in a Chinese-style binding with woven tapestry covers depicting a stream, pagodas, bridge, village and water bird, all in shades of green, beige and brown. The first page contains a cutout of two figures, one in a boat, and the other on land with a tree and the title cut out of its branches. Thereafter are pictures of the seven legends with an English description facing on glassine: stories of children, frogs, the friend who failed, all popular legends of ancient China. With a letterpress sheet laid in describing the intricate process of making the silhouettes. A fine exemplar. A production of the Women's Bible School, Self-help Dept., Presbyterian Mission, Chefoo (now Yantai). The mission was established in 1899. .

A massive hand made piece of cut work or scissorgraphy, 530 x 775 mm. in a later frame. An extraordinary work made up of several pieces, the largest of which forms the entire border area which was worked folded in half horizontally in order for the two sides to match exactly. The two large floral decorations centre top and bottom have been inserted separately and may also have been created together. Finally the central picture, a representation of the popular and well-known work by da Vinci is a single image, but may be made up of three pieces of paper. There is some very minor repair and the whole is lightly laid down on an old thick paper sheet. Cut paper-work, or scissorgraphy was a favourite drawing room pastime originating in the late 18th Century and popularised in the Regency and Georgian periods; small examples are frequently seen in scrap books and common-place books of the period. This piece is probably of European origin and bears no name or initial, but is the largest piece we have seen or even heard of.