Paper and Books - Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper and More - page 66

SPINAL ALIGNMENT
Medieval books were usually stored horizontally on the shelf, but later people
began stacking them vertically, leading to extended hardcover bindings to
protect the interior pages. Eventually, the title of the work would be stamped
on the leather spine.
More expensive hardcover bindings are achieved by attaching stiff pasteboards to a
hinged spine. The laces of the text block are fastened to the hinged edge of the pasteboards.
Finally, the pasteboards and spine would be covered with leather, which may be punched,
stamped tooled, gilded, or decorated using specialized bookmaking tools.
Marbleized paper ( carta marmorizzata ) is made by swirling pigments into a large, shal-
low pan of water, then laying the paper gently and briefly on the surface of the water to
transfer the pattern. Because the designs sometimes mimic the natural veining in stone or
marble, the word “marbleized” came to be used.
Marbleized paper is made across Asia and Europe, turned out with differing techniques
depending on where it is made. In Venice, paper makers traditionally began with viscous
oil-based paints well-known to Venetian artists since the late Middle Ages. These pigments,
known as size or sizing , derived from various plants, including widely available aquatic
ones. Today, many paper artists prefer synthetic acrylics and oil paints. Artists apply the
paints into a wide, shallow tray filled with water. Sometimes a surfactant is used to help the
colors float on the surface. Traditionally, artists used ox gall to serve this purpose, though
today there are synthetic surfactants on the market.
TEXTILE CONNECTIONS
The techniques used to marbleize paper are closely related to the art of batik,
laying pigments on fabrics. In fact, some paper artists are also active practi-
tioners of fabric and fashion design.
The creative aspect of paper marbling comes next, when the artist applies the colors to
the water using any number of techniques—like dropping or splattering paint using paint-
brushes, horsehair or straw whisks, or other tools—to apply color to the surface of the wa-
ter in a particular design or order. After the color has been dropped, the artist may use a