EBRU Turkish Art of Marbling

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by ESA

Ebru is the traditional art of creating colorful patterns by sprinkling and brushing color pigments on a pan of oily water and then transforming this pattern to a special paper. It has been atraditional art of book enriching calligraphy and binding books for many centuries. In the 13th century, the first forms of Ebru emerged in Central Asia and spread to Anatolia through . During the Ottoman period, Turkish calligraphers and artists created new forms and perfected techniques.

Ebru is an art which consists of certain patterns and effects in the production, by means of colors containing a few drops of ox-gall (kind of natural acid helping the colors sprinkle on the gum) so prepared as to float upon a preparation of condensed liquid with the use of kitre (kind of herbal gum), possessing certain properties to the colors prepared for the purpose and which color floated and formed into patterns upon the surface of the liquid, are taken off by laying on a sheet of paper.

All pictures are made by me.