Ebru Turkish Marbling Art Supplies

“Ebru” or “Turkish” Marbling is the traditional art of creating colourful patterns by sprinkling and swirling coloured inks on the surface of thickened water and then transferring this pattern to paper. The special tools of the trade are brushes of horsehair bound to straight rose twigs, a deep tray and steel pins and combs. It is believed to have been invented in thirteenth century Turkistan. Artists used marbling to decorate books, imperial decrees, official correspondence and documents. Turkey remained the centre of marbling for many centuries. Up until the 1920's, Ebru artists had workshops in the Beyazit district of Istanbul, creating Turkish marble paper for both the local and European market.