Brief History of Marbling and Ebru
Brief History of Marbling"Suminagashi" is a unique style of marbling which was developed in Japan. The name is derived from two Japanese words; "sumi" which means black ink, and "nagashi" which means floating. Thus the name is a description of the basic characteristics of the marbling: delicate sworls of black colour which appear to float on the surface of the paper. Many sources will cite "suminagashi" as the first marbling technique in history; however, considering the difficult process and highly developed technique involved, it is more reasonable to suppose that it developed out of an even older technique which has since been forgotten. So, we are able to say that while "suminagashi" may not actually be oldest form of marbling, it is oldest we know today."Suminagashi" first appeared at the end of the Heian Era (A.D. 794-1185), a period during which Japan was emerging from influence of China, and was developing its own national identity in the arts, literature, and architecture. There are claims that marbled paper was produced in China from A.D. 1396 to 1644 using a technique similar to "suminagashi", but this theory has yet to be substantiated. It is, however, quite possible that the technology necessary for the production of "suminagashi" traveled from Japan to China and Turkey via the Silk Road across Asia. After a two hundred year hiatus, marbling techniques resurfaced in the Near East. Both paper and marbling techniques came from Turkistan along the silk caravan routes to Persia and Turkey. Unfortunately, little is known of the early history of marbling in countries such as Turkey (known at that time as the Ottoman Empire) and Persia. Several reason may be given for the absence of early examples of marbled paper. Paper is fragile and ephemeral by nature, and the normal vicissitudes of time, vermin, damp and wear can quickly take their toll on it. Another possible explanation is that it would appear no great quantity of marbled paper was produced in these early periods. Paper and paper products were very costly, and for this reason were considered luxury items to be enjoyed only by the aristocracy and the wealthy. Indeed, much of the paper that was made was exclusively done for wealthy patrons in their personal ateliers. This view is substantiated by the relatively small number of manuscripts, books and miniatures incorporating marbling which are included in large collections of Islamic art, such as that in the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul. India, Persia and Turkey were very significant locations in the history of paper marbling after it was brought from Japan. These three stopping points that the trail of paper marbling followed across Asia and Europe represent the most important period of technological development the process of paper marbling would ever experience. |