The Art of Marbling: Ebru

The art of marbling (Ebru Sanatı) Ebru has long been the name given to the authentic Turkish art of paper marbling to the marbled papers produced by Ebru artists. Classical Ebru is performed using aqueous natural pigments mixed with ogall and a rectangular trough filled with mucilaginous mixture, traditionally prepared using gum tragacanth. Colors are sprinkled using brushes mad of rose stalks and horsehair on the surface of the mucilaginous solution in the trough. The floating pattern is taen off to the paper either as is or after being reshaped and re-touched using pins, needles, combs or the like. Ebrus were once admired as calligraphy media, as borders for inscriptions and scripts or as endpapers for fine bindings.