Quillwork

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A decorative technique entails crafting designs and patterns using feathers' quills to add visual richness and texture to various surfaces
2. This artistic method involves the application of quills from birds to create intricate and textured decorative elements in art
3. A craft involving the manipulation of bird quills to produce detailed and ornate designs, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of surfaces

Etymology: Quillwork is a plain compound: "quill" joined to "work," meaning work made with quills. The quill is the hollow stem of a large feather, once used as a writing pen and also cut, folded, or wound to make decorative patterns on surfaces such as boxes, cards, and furniture. The technique draws on that material directly. Its makers prepared the quills by slitting, flattening, coiling, or shaping them, then arranged the pieces into designs, so the decoration is built from the feather's own structure rather than painted onto it. The word therefore names both the object and the craft behind it.

Synonyms: feather art, quill art