Raffaello and the paper of Fabriano

A research conducted on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Raffaello Sanzio (celebrated in 2020) has made it possible to find a correspondence between the watermarks used by the Urbino master and the historical ones from Fabriano.

This is the confirmation that, besides Michelangelo, ascertained user of the Fabriano paper with the sheet used for the letter to Niccolò Della Buca dated July 31st 1514, preserved in Florence at the Buonarroti Archives, also another extraordinary artist like Raffaello loved the famous paper produced in the Marches, material, simple, beautiful, strong, that still today is produced by some artisan masters according to the ancient techniques.

Sandro Tiberi, paper craftsman in Fabriano. Founder of the Academy of Paper Arts

Discover all craftsmanship Carta

Decorative Arts
Paper

L’Istrice

Located on one of Volterra’s most characteristic streets, L’Istrice is a workshop-laboratory that produces beautiful original etchings, engraved entirely by hand on zinc or copper plate. The works are printed one at a time, without the aid of any mechanical process, signed by the artist and numbered progressively in a limited run. A visit to […]

Decorative Arts
Paper

CPRCA di Silvia Gazzina Centro di Restauro Carte Antiche

Since 1996, the paper materials restoration workshop directed by Silvia Gazzina has specialized in prints, drawings, paintings on paper and parchments. The main approach is conservative restoration, with reversible interventions and materials, taking into account the nature of the work without changing its function. The workshop also makes faithful reproductions of antique bindings – born […]

Via Roma, 9 - Volterra (PI)

Decorative Arts
Paper

Legatoria Artistica

The artisan workshop Legatoria Artistica was born in 1982 from the passion for paper of two sisters, Patrizia and Angela Gronchi. Great attention is paid to the choice of materials, first of all a special paper made by capturing among the fibers flowers and other elements offered by nature. With these precious papers unique objects […]

Via Porta all'Arco, 26 - Volterra (PI)

Decorative Arts
Paper

Paolo Olbi

Paolo Olbi began training in the field of artistic bookbinding in 1962 and then pursued studies in France to gain further knowledge. Technical skill but also creativity which, in the mid-1970s, allowed him to pioneer the marbled paper technique, becoming the first workshop that left the world of book restoration to start a new genre […]

Venezia

Decorative Arts
Paper

Fallani Venezia

Operating in Venice since 1968, the Fallani Venezia silk-screen printing workshop prints top-quality editions, by putting its technical and artistic expertise to the disposal of painters, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, street artists and graphic and fashion designers and by interpreting and translating their different expressive languages into graphics. Fiorenzo Fallani has created over 1,000 editions for […]

Venezia

Decorative Arts
Paper

Alberto Valese-Ebrù

The origins of the paper marbling technique go as far back as the 9th century and to Japan. Through the Silk Road, this art reached Turkey, where it became very popular and was named Ebrû (from the Persian word Ebri meaning ‘cloudy’). It is here that Alberto Valese, having learned the basics, was able to […]

Venezia

Decorative Arts
Paper

Impresa Sociale Magnani Pescia

Founded in 2018, the Impresa Sociale Magnani Pescia is a young reality, but with solid roots, which retrace the history back to the fifteenth century, bringing back to life a tradition that is also linked to the important Paper Museum of Pescia, promoter of the Company. The workshop is dedicated to the production of hand […]

Pescia, loc. Pietrabuona (PT)

Decorative Arts
Paper

MC PAPER

Marco Castellini today is the only artisan papermaker to carry on the tradition of Toscolano, an ancient Italian papermaking hub of 14th-century origin. His activity takes place in the “MC Paper” paper workshop located in Via Trento, the historic center of Toscolano Maderno on Lake Garda, where he produces handmade papers daily. In his papers […]

Via Trento, 68 - Toscolano Maderno (BS)

Decorative Arts
Paper

AtelierGK Firenze

AtelierGK Firenze was established in 2010 by Lapo Giannini and Michiko Kuwata, integrating six generations of family history and over twenty years of experience in bookbinding, conservation and crafting of novelty items. In their works, traditional Florentine techniques merge with the simplicity and essentiality typical of Japanese culture. Objects created ex novo or restored, where […]

Firenze

Decorative Arts
Paper

Legatoria Moderna di Eva Seminara

A business located in the heart of Udine. Started in 1966 inside Palazzo Brazzà by three women, the workshop has been run by Eva Seminara since 1999. She is passionately fond of the traditional artisan atmosphere that fills her  bookbinder’s workshop, but she also added a creative and modern touch which has made the business […]

Udine

Decorative Arts
Paper

Picta Lab

Picta Lab is an artisan business that specializes in interior decorating and finishing. Among the techniques it makes use of are trompe l’oeil, stucco, French-polishing and imitation marble, which have been gracing private homes and public places, both in Italy and abroad, for over ten years. In 2014, Picta Lab began designing, producing and marketing […]

Milano

Decorative Arts
Paper

Giulio Giannini e Figlio

Masters of book-binding and paper-marbling with over 150 years of experience. It all began with Pietro Giannini, who opened a small shop in Piazza Pitti in 1856. Then his son, Giulio Senior’s, parchment binding marked an era, determining what in the history of Italian binding is known as the Florentine style. Still today the activities […]

Firenze

Decorative Arts
Paper

Cartapesta di Marco Epicochi

Lecce and papier-mâché, a combination whose origins date back to the distant 1700s, today is revived in the workshop of Marco Epicochi, multi-talented artist and teacher. Marco embraces and makes the Lecce tradition his own, creating splendid statues of various sizes, made with skill and care, and characterized by his unmistakable style and unique expressiveness. […]

Lecce

Decorative Arts
Paper

Mario Di Donfrancesco

Mario Di Donfrancesco creates unique works in his papier maché workshop in Lecce. Qualified by the Superintendency of Fine Arts, he also does delicate restoration work. A considerable number of his restored and newly made works can be found in various parts of Italy, Malta, Germany, the United States, and France. Di Donfrancesco produces a […]

Lecce

Decorative Arts
Paper

Bottega della cartapesta

Santino Merico has been working in his Lecce workshop since 1982. There he creates sacred figures, performs restoration work and creates various objects. He makes his pieces on a base, a mannequin made of straw and iron, then covers it in papier maché and delicately paints it. Together with the wide range of products already […]

Lecce

Decorative Arts
Paper

Sandro Tiberi

Sandro Tiberi is a skilled craftsman with a passion for paper: in his workshop he produces various things. His lamps are very evocative, and made with the technique of filigree. Each type of paper is created completely by hand, using only high quality raw materials, carefully refined to meet all needs, including those who use […]

Fabriano (AN)

Decorative Arts
Paper

La Cartapesta di Rosaria Pallara

A stone’s throw from the Cathedral of Lecce, in the courtyard of a charming sixteenth century building, you can admire the beautiful papier maché creations of Rosaria Pallara, expert artisan, who, fully respecting the Lecce tradition, creates statues and objects of various kinds, from the sacred to the profane. Some of her most outstanding pieces, […]

Lecce

Decorative Arts
Paper

Antica Legatoria Piazzesi

The Piazzesi Bookbinding business began in 1890 with the art of covering everyday objects with stylish decorations stamped by hand. The workshop was bought by the Piazzesi family only a few years later. It was a true salon of writers, artists, aristocrats, religious men, businessmen, intellectuals and fine craftsmen, and even today it is confirmed […]

Venezia

Decorative Arts
Paper

Antica Legatoria Viali

Antica Legatoria Viali oozes with the atmosphere and charm of a centuries-old and strictly artisan’s craft. The business is deeply rooted in the history of the Viali family. The bookbinder’s workshop was started by Giovanni Viali in 1891 and his tools and techniques are still used. The many recognitions received testify to the artistic value […]

Viterbo

Decorative Arts
Paper

Legatoria Artigiana Napoli

The Legatoria Artigiana Napoli is the heir to the craftsmanship that originated with the Eliseo family in the late 1800s. Today the students of Michele Eliseo are passionately committed to this ancient art, whose home is within the courtyard of Palazzo Marigliano. The binding, gilding and restoration techniques are used for both old and modern […]

Napoli

Decorative Arts
Paper

Alberto Tallone Editore

The Tallone editions, made entirely by hand, are characterized by the quality of the print, the relevance of the works published, the elegant layouts, the exclusivity of the hand cast movable type and the precious exotic and pure cotton papers. Each binding is handmade, and the notebooks are sewn together with cotton thread. The books, […]

Alpigiano (TO)

Decorative Arts
Paper

Antica Legatoria Biccini

The company, founded in 1966, was the brainchild of Franco Biccini, father of the current owner, who immediately began to specialize in the restoration of antique books, fashioning the bookbindery with a passion fluctuating between art and craftsmanship. The restoration of books is still performed today, on commission, for individual clients and public institutions. Various […]

Perugia

Decorative Arts
Paper

Cartiera F. Amatruda

The history of the Cartiera Amatruda dates back to the fifteenth century. Here, paper is still handmade, following the ancient Amalfi tradition. A high-quality paper, extremely durable, but also sought-after from an aesthetic point of view, appreciated and exported all over the world. Highly-prestigious works have been printed volumes on this paper, such as Processus […]

Amalfi (SA)

Decorative Arts
Paper

Flavio Aquilina

The spirit of a trade of yesteryear gives new life to the creations of Flavio Aquilina and his wife Neve Marino, who since 1983 have been dedicated to the art of marbled paper. Flowing colours, unpredictable patterns and eighteenth-century motifs populate the products of this workshop in Naples, where, between tradition and modernity, papers, fabrics, […]

Napoli

Decorative Arts
Paper

Il Papiro

Since 1976, Il Papiro has been producing objects in paper decorated by hand with techniques inspired by Tuscan regional tradition. In particular, it uses a technique that has almost disappeared, paper marbling. Precisely to illustrate this technique, in the stores, demonstrations are organized by craftsmen, while in the Grassina workshop, customers can personally try experimenting […]

Firenze