Marbled Paper Choices

A Brief History of  Marbling

Although the origins of paper marbling may be obscure, historians believe paper was marbled in Japan as early as the twelfth century. Marbling had spread to Persia by the fifteenth century and the first Persian marbles had a fine comb pattern, very similar to the present day nonpareil design. The art of marbling then spread to Turkey, and was imported to Holland at the end of the sixteenth century. 

The manufacturing of marbled paper in Western Europe dates to about 1630 and there is evidence of books with European marbled endpapers in 1655.  It is thought that the manufacturing was almost exclusively a French and German preserve until the middle decades of the eighteenth century. Dutch merchants imported a wide range of goods from Germany for re-export, including marbled papers, the patterns of which are still known as "Dutch."  These Dutch papers were exported to Britain and heavily used for more than one hundred years until the end of the eighteenth century. 

A popular early pattern introduced around 1660 was the French curl or snail pattern and was used in Britain until the end of the nineteenth century. Marbling began to develop slowly in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century. In contrast with the varieties of the Dutch pattern which had been very popular previously, the new marbles were uncombed or lightly combed and the colours in some, like antique spot, were brighter and more pleasing. Other popular patterns at this time included French Shell, Stormont and Gloster. These patterns lost popularity about 1840 and were followed by nonpareil and Spanish.  Nonpareil patterns remained popular throughout the Victorian period. Variations of this pattern which were also popular at the time included Bouquet and Peacock. Other marbled papers used mostly during the second half of the nineteenth century were Italian, Westend and Turkish or Stone.