From the FRENCH word DECOUPER which means “to cut”

The history of DECOUPAGE People from ITALY were very impressed with Chinese lacquer boxes so they tried to imitates the process on furniture through the process they invented called DECOUPAGE People from ITALY were very impressed with Chinese lacquer boxes so they tried to imitates the process on furniture through the process they invented called DECOUPAGE

Lacquer boxes from CHINA Lacquer boxes from CHINA

L'arte del povero (poor man's art) was the craft of using prints and engravings, pasted onto items of furniture and sealed with varnish to simulate the very desirable Asian imports of the time, but at a far more affordable price. The multiple layers of varnish built up a surface which would appear smooth, as if the pictures were painted and lacquered.

The trend for pasting pictures to household items spread throughout Europe over the coming years, but it was in Victorian England that decoupage, by then known as Japanning, developed and became a popular hobby craft. Ladies and children would use cut-outs of hand tinted, embossed paper, lace and braid to decorate Valentine and Christmas cards, boxes, large and small items of furniture, picture frames and notebooks.

What is a Motif??? A series of images and or objects that are tied together by a similar idea or aesthetic. A series of images and or objects that are tied together by a similar idea or aesthetic.