I have often shown children how to produce a piece of marbling, however, until I visited Istanbul, I had not realised it's history. The intricacies and beauty of the work astounded me and I found myself purchasing more than one work.

Ebru: The Art of Patience
One of the most unique and beautiful forms of Turkish art is Ebru, or water marbling. Ebru is formed by drawing designs with dye on top of water, and then carefully placing paper on the surface of the water in order to absorb the dye.

The earliest examples of Ebru are found in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and are dated 1539, but the detail and quality of the work suggests that Ebru was present long before this time in the Ottoman Empire. Ebru has traditionally been rarely signed, and therefore many great artists remain unnamed. Modern day students may study for more than 10 years before being considered master marblers, learning how to make the perfect dye, water bath, and design. Since each dye bath can only be transferred to paper once, every original piece of Ebru is unique.

http://www.ebru.tv/en/a.1464.html






The Ottomans

Ebru , Marbling

It is not possible to tell exactly when people started painting papers using the techniques of ebru which is one of the most important of paper decorating arts.
www.theottomans.org/english/art_culture/ebru.asp

This is so much fun to learn. If anyone has an opportunity to learn how to do this, I highly recommend it. You do not need to be a great artist either.