"Quilling, (or paperolle in French) is an art using strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create intricate designs. The tiny strips of paper are wound around a quill to create coil shapes. Then the coils is glued at the tip and at the base of the coil inside of a locket or small frame. The intricate designs include flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns similar to ironwork.
During the Renaissance, the French nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. The paper most commonly used was strips of gilded paper trimmed from the edges of books." (for more information)
Paperrolle was also commonly used to create intricate designs to highlight a small relic. In most cases when one finds an antique paperolle creation at the brocante, the relic is gone (or maybe that is just my luck).
I found this paperrolle recently, it is in a purple velvet locket. Of course, the relic is missing…luckily for me, I have my own relic to add inside… a locket of my father's hair.
Leave a Reply