Pair of scissors used for papercutting. The large finger holds are bound in pink and green silk threads. The scissor blades are short, but very sharp and pointed.
At one time mounted on a display board with text as follows: ' Chinese paper cuts. The earliest Chinese paper cuts date from about the 5th century AD. Popular subjects include religious symbols, characters from myth and history, actors, animals and flowers. Made for celebrations and festivals, and often displayed in house windows, paper cuts were also used as stencils for decorating textiles, lacquer and pottery. Paper cutting is a folk art with many regional styles. Simple tools are used: a wooden tray, knives, scissors, tweezers, pins and paper.'