Marbled paper

Marbled paper is decorated paper made by transferring colour from the surface of a liquid bath to a sheet. Getty’s technical vocabulary describes shaping the pattern with a comb or other methods before the paper is laid on the surface.

Use in bookbindings

The Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrates marbled paper used as both endpapers and covers. Patterns can be combed or uncombed. The museum distinguishes this technique from paste paper, where colours are mixed with paste and the wet paste layer is manipulated.

A pattern alone should not be treated as a secure date or place of manufacture. Getty notes inconsistent use of names for different marbled-paper patterns. Record both a proposed name and what is actually visible.

Documenting an older book

Practical example: Photograph the cover and endpapers separately. Include the title page, spine and visible repairs. Do not detach an adhered sheet merely to show its back. Describe tears, loose leaves and missing parts without assuming that all the paper in a book is original.

Preserve information about the book’s ownership history, and distinguish documentation from possible intervention through conservation and restoration.

Explore books and older paper material at OBA, or send photographs and information about books you are considering selling.