Ebru (Paper Marbling)

Murakka is a type of traditional art created by gluing various artworks on top of each other on cardboard. In this example, the artist has combined three different ebru styles: battal (stone pattern), çiçek (floral) and kumlu (sandy), all designed to complement one another. The artist has used the battal ebru style to create the outer frame of this work, which is one of the basic patterns and is widely used in marbling, and the kumlu ebru style to create the inner frame, which is usually applied as a thin sill, drawn on the edges of the flowered marbling. The rose, a distinguished floral pattern in marbling, is the focal point of this work of art. The rose motif is well-known as a symbol of the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

This piece includes a mosaic of three marbling artworks: battal ebru (stone pattern), çiçek ebru (floral), and zemin ebru (background / base), all designed to complement one another. The carnation, symbolising spring and renewal, is the centrepiece of this work of art, and is a prominent floral pattern not only in marbling but also in other traditional Turkish arts. Çiçek ebrusu (floral marbling), is one of the most important features that distinguishes Turkish marbling from other examples of marbling works around the world. Flowers unique to Turkish-Ottoman culture bloom in the marbling tray with the artists’ touches on the water. The artist has used battal ebru style, one of the most common marbling patterns, when designing the painting’s outer frame. Using zemin (background or base) ebru style to create the inner frame, she used a lighter colour to serve as a background for the flower.

Battal marbling is the name of the first and most important form, which is the basis of all forms of marbling art.

In this form, where the paints remain as they are poured from the brush, the artist has no further touch. The elements that determine the mastery and beauty of this technique are the balanced brush strokes and colour harmony, which will ensure that the paints fall on the surface in equal intervals and sizes.

This unique work of art, a fusion of calligraphy and marbling art, is entirely the artist’s own creation. The symmetrical calligraphy in the artwork that reads as ‘Wallāhu Mutimmu Nụrihī’ in Arabic is a verse from the Holy Qur’an (Surah As-Saf 61:8). It translates as ‘Allah will certainly perfect His light’. The technique used here produces a reverse or mirror image. This writing style is known as müsennâ (specular), and it can also be described as a bifold (müsennâ), duplicate writing (çift yazı), or as ‘reflecting itself’ (mütenâzır). However, this technique has not been applied to the entire text. The name Allah is written only once, but the rest of the verse is written in müsenna style to refer to Allah’s light in both this world and the afterlife. In addition, the calligraphic text was created using the akkase ebru technique, one of many unique ebru styles. This technique is achieved by masking a pre-designed and perfectly cut pattern, miniature, or writing, which is then pasted on the paper surface and marbled in the desired colours.

This artwork was made with a muraqqa technique.

Muraqqa (Murakka) is an example of beautiful writing written on a paper glued on top of each other like cardboard. In the art of marbling, it is a form of sandy marbling with a thin sill drawn on the edges of the flowered marblings and arranged with a matching coloured battal on the outside. Tahrir is drawn in optional colours -usually gold or silver- around the sills.

The art of marbling is the art of paper decoration, which is formed by sprinkling water-insoluble paints on the thick water, with the help of brushes made of rose branch and horsehair, by adding bovine bile, on the surface and putting them on paper.

The art of marbling is the art of paper decoration, which is formed by sprinkling water-insoluble paints on the thick water, with the help of brushes made of rose branch and horsehair, by adding bovine bile, on the surface and putting them on paper.

Waw is the 26th letter of the Arabic alphabet. In sufism, it symbolises many things in Islam and Ottoman culture, among which the most important is pure love to Allah and human being’s closeness to Allah. This letter has been repeteadely written by calligraphists. It can be seen in many architectural and literal works of art.