paper marbling art & history

One of the oldest and most elegant methods of decorating paper is paper marbling. 

Originating in China, suminagashi has existed in Japan since the 12th century, the Turkish variegated marbling art of ebru arrived in Europe in the 16th century via Venice, the trade gateway to the Orient.

By the 17th century European travelers to the Middle East collected examples of these papers and bound them into alba amicorum, which literally means "books of friendship" in Latin, a forerunner of the modern autograph album.

Marblers at work and illustrations of marbling equipment.

An edge marbler and paper finisher with related equipment.

Images reproduced from l'Encyclopedie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert. Vol. IV p. 275-6 (1768).

These swirling, rhythmic patterns have ever since enchanted the human eye for well over 2,000 years. The art of making marbled paper lives on today, where the method is now applied to various papers, fabrics, and surfaces. 

Waka poems by Ōshikōchi Mitsune (859?–925?) on suminagashi paper. 

Calligraphic verse from the Qur'an (14:7) written on 16^th century marbled paper. 

The marbled designs are created by floating colored inks on a fluid surface, swirling them with a stylus or comb into distinct patterns, and transferring the design on to an absorbent surface. These hand decorated papers employ various techniques to create stunning one-of-a-kind works of art.

Marbling Tools

The finished pieces are either displayed as is or crafted and used in other creative applications - such as book-binding, origami, collage, gift wrap, etc. 

Watch artisan Tadao Fukuda as he creates beautiful handmade marbled papers, in the ancient Japanese art called suminagashi. 

At the Royal Ebru Hali, the ebru art of marbling is applied to their ancient Ottoman collection of carpets. Watch how each carpet is a unique fingerprint created for a home. 

In Europe, French and Italian marbled papers provide top designs and quality that have revived the industry. Paper aficionados also vie for the Oriental marbled papers of Turkey, Japan, India, Nepal, and Thailand.

Marbled Endpaper from Netherlands or Germany, 1720 - 1770

French Curl Paper, Michel Duval, late 20th Century

Come by 188 Galerie and check out our selection of marbled papers - hand crafted by artisans from all over the world. 

Pick your own hand-made papers, and start your collection of one-of-a-kind art pieces. 

Book Bind Detail, England, circa 1830

Book Bind Detail, France, circa 1880