Marbled endpapers dating to the 18th century, in a copy of Aristophanes, Aristophanis facetissimi comoedie novem, Paris, E Gourmont, 1528, Rare Books collection

The technique of marbling paper – creating decorative patterns that resemble the natural swirls of colour in marble, a type of limestone – originated in Central Asia around the 15th century. Coloured inks are added to a mixture known as ‘size’, which contains additives that make inks float on the surface. Patterns are formed by blowing on the surface or dragging a human hair across it, and paper is applied to capture a print of the pattern.