Découpage is the art of decorations and ornaments, where an object by gluing or painting affixed colored and illustrated paper or gold leaf, etc. in various combinations with special effects. Commonly used on objects such as small boxes or items of furniture. The traditional technique is that after decoration, 30 to 40 layers of varnish are added and then sanded to a polished surface. Découpage has been recognized in England as an independent art form since the 1800s.
Craftsmen in Florence have produced decorative objects using the découpage technique since the 18th century. They combined découpage with other decorative techniques, such as gilding with gold leaf. These older techniques were already in use to produce frames for paintings and leather book covers.
