Dissertation
The advent of Abrī: the first wave of paper marbling in the long 16th century (ca. 1496-1616CE)
On Thursday 21 November 2024 Jake Benson successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.
- Author
- Benson, J.W.
- Date
- 21 November 2024
- Links
- Leiden Repository
A form of paper marbling primarily called abrī, or “clouding” in Persian, emerged in Turco-Persian and European manuscript cultures during the sixteenth century. Artists employed it with other decorated papers to cover, mount, write, and even visually illustrate sixteenth-century Turco-Persian manuscripts. Artists produced such sheets in institutional, commercial, pedagogical, and itinerant contexts. Prevailing literature suggests the art originated in East Asia and then “transferred” elsewhere; however, this investigation pursues the evidentiary trail to ascertain and articulate how an initial wave of abrī first arose in Greater Iran and Transoxiana and its subsequent ripple effects in South Asia, Ottoman Empire, and Europe. Comparing Indo-Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Dutch sources reveals varied technical information broadly circulated amongst marbling artisans or “marblers.” They disseminated knowledge when they emigrated elsewhere or recorded it in writing. They also adapted substitute materials for unavailable ones, resulting in regional variants, while others who possessed minimal knowledge tried to imitate designs they saw. Despite differing modes, surviving evidence falls into three main pattern categories: droplet motifs, swirls, and pebbled designs. Gazing at abstract marbled patterns elicits perceptual responses that inspired Turco-Persian and European artists and intellectuals alike to view such early marbled designs with curiosity, esteem, and delight.
Supervisor: Prof.dr. P.M. Sijpesteijn
Co-supervisor: Prof.dr. G.R. van den Berg