Cloth Pasted Picture: A Traditional Craftsmanship

Patching together a large number of fabrics into various artistic figures, changing the leftovers into pictures vividly demonstrating characters, scenery and even stories – this is the art of cloth pasted pictures; an art of painting.

Cloth pasted picture, once called royal patch embroidery, is an artistic skill to make decorations. It has various designs which contain features of wood-carved paintings. The vivid images depicted on cloth pasted pictures are easy to make and are unique art works in China.

Making

Cloth pasted pictures are almost the same as silk clip art, except for the raw materials. Coarse cloth is stuck on to a white background. Handicraftsman can cut and paste the cloth after it is dyed with different colors according to the design. The picture reflects the local history, customs, geographic environment, and aesthetic standards.

Contents

Cloth pasted pictures are closely related to the everyday life of the local people. For example, women use colorful fabrics to make tiger heads, flowers, and other auspicious patterns, then she will stick it to hat and shoes for her child. Some will clip the cloth into fish and lotus which can be decorated on pillows for newly-weds.