Lovely, Delicate Old Hand-cut Brown Paper Quilting Template pheasant and quite an existential feeling

and quite an existential feeling one too--starting down into the void

late 19th century so so I believe--but I think its maker did not fully consider the need to leave unpainted areas for the foil to show and shimmer through

but it's extra set of eyes on both sides definitely put it over the top

oil on poplar wood panel

including for the bit of wood extending at top left

Lovely, Delicate Old Hand-cut Brown Paper Quilting Template pheasant and quite an existential feelingI think this is really beautiful, with details giving a better sense of the paper, with what looks like blue watercolor around the edges, which is what must have been used to draw the outlines, free hand it would seem, before cutting it out. A few more PA quilting templates listed today but I believe this one older than those, and especially delicate. Found carefully folded up as shown pretty amazing it has survived all in one pieces, with no evident