Once Upon a Time... The Artistic Watermark in Light and Shade

摘要

What I am about to tell you is a story born, raised, and perfected in Fabriano, a small city in central Italy known for centuries as the "City of Paper and Watermark." Giuseppe Miliani (1816-1890) was the grandson of Pietro (1744-1817), who founded the Miliani Paper Company. Under Giuseppe the Miliani paper mill was enlarged. At the London Exhibition of 1851, Miliani's drawing paper was awarded a prize. Later, their security papers, such as those for banknotes, became the specialty of the Fabriano factory, making the Miliani paper mill world famous for quality. Upon the death of Giuseppe the mill was already a large complex, but it was his son Giambattista (1856-1937) who transformed the scale of the company from artisanal to industrial. Notably, Giambattista achieved the highest acclaim for the company in the field of the watermark.