Decoupage (or découpage) is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper bits onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf etc. Commonly an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. Although today the word art usually refers to the visual arts, the concept of what art is has continuously changed over centuries. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Historically, glue only refers to protein colloids prepared from animal tissues, such as hide glue, bone glue, or fish glue. ... Piece of paper Paper is a thin, flat material produced by the compression of fibres. ... Varnish is a finish applied to wood or other surfaces in order to provide a clear, hard, durable, protective finish. ... The Mona Lisa is perhaps the best-known artistic painting in the Western world. ...

Objects using the basic decoupage technique have been found among 12th Century Chinese peasant art. The craft became known as découpage in France as it attained great popularity during the 17th and 18th century. Many advanced techniques were developed during this time, and items could take up to a year to complete due to the many coats and sandings applied. And famous or aristocratic practitioners included Marie Antoinette, Madame de Pompadour and Beau Brummell. Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Madame de Pompadour, an engraving after her portrait by François Boucher1756 Madame de Pompadour (December 29, 1721 - April 15, 1764) was the famous mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... George Bryan Brummell (June 7, 1778 – March 30, 1840), better known as Beau Brummell, was an arbiter of fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent. ...

20th century artists who produced decoupage works include Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. A young Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso, formally Pablo Ruiz Picasso, (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century art. ... Self-Portrait in a Striped T-shirt (1906). ...