papercut tool

Gouge used in the production of papercuts consisting of a short steel blade set in a cylindrical wooden handle.

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.'

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
27.8.63/13
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 190 mm x 12 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
steel; wood
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk