Quilling

     Filigree Paper Work Rolled Scrolled Crimped and Folded Paper Quilling is a very old art form traceable to the 15th century and perhaps as early as the 13th or 14th century. The history of quilling is tied closely to the history of paper itself.

     It is believed to have first been practiced by French and Italian Nuns and/or Monks. They used filigree work to decorate religious objects and to simulate more costly handwork such as carved ivory or wrought iron.

     Filigree work is the process of rolling or coiling thin strips of paper into delicate looking shapes and using these pieces to form a design.

     In the 18th century, filigree work became popular in England and was taught along with needle work as a proper pastime for fashionable young ladies to engage in. 18th century advertisements for boarding schools often listed filigree among the subjects taught. The 18th century New Lady Magazine described filigree as the art which affords an amusement to the female mind capable of the most pleasing and extensive variety. Signatures and dates as well as the name of the school were often penciled on the back of surviving pieces. During this time filigree work was used to decorate tea caddies, cribbage boards, wine coasters, work baskets, obelisks, urns and even pieces of furniture.

     The term quilling was adopted when filigree work spread to the American colonies. "Quilling" as defined by Webster's Dictionary is:

     "A band of material fluted into small ruffles so as to resemble a row of quills. Or perhaps it was called this simply because the coils were rolled over the end of goose quills. American quill work continued to be used as a decorative enhancement for pictures, trays, boxes, candle sconces and other practical items.

     As the woodworker laboriously carved intricate patterns and designs into wood...so the quiller would laboriously and painstakingly roll and sculpt paper with amazingly similar results. Many times quill-work would be combined with shells, wax flowers, twisted wire, and chipped mica to add a sparkling effect to designs viewed in candlelight".

     Modern craftsmen have a greater variety of materials and papers to choose from but the basic tools and techniques remain the same. Since quilling can be made to resemble many other art forms its applications are limited only by one's imagination.

     Due to the fragile nature of the materials used, few very old pieces remain although many museums in the USA, especially in the New England area, boast at least a few examples from the 1700's and 1800's.

American Museums with Quilling from 1720 to 1740:

     Metropolitan Museum of Art-- New York City

     Museum of Fine Art -- Boston Massachusetts

     Wadsworth Athenaeum -- Hartford Conn.

     Essey Institute -- Salem Mass.