Debbie Rusher, Baby's Breath & Wheat, 16"x8", French Flower Beading; 2007
Although the actual history of this fabulous art technique is hard to track down, according to the French Beading Artists Guild of Idaho Falls, Idaho the history goes like this:
“French flower beading, the unique art of sculpting with beads on wire, originated in the 1500's with French and Italian peasants who embroidered small glass beads on ball gowns and jackets for members of the French Royal Court. The peasants saved the imperfect beads, stringing them on wire to make beaded flowers. These flowers were then used for church processions, altar sprays, bridal bouquets, and funeral wreaths. During the 1600's and 1700's the art was very popular in France, Italy and England and by the 1800's beaded bouquets had become cherished decorator pieces, owned primarily by the elite. Among those known to have owned bouquets and pieces were Marie Antoinette, Madame Pompadour and Napoleon's Josephine.
Today, bead flower making is almost a lost art form and bouquets
are even more rare than they were in the 1800's. Pieces may be seen occasionally in museums, antique collections, and the private collections of individuals such as the late Princess Grace, Princess Caroline, Patricia Nixon, and William Randolph Hearst.”
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