A book that talks about Varese Paper

The book by Carla Tocchetti, La Carta di Varese. Fascino e splendore (Varese Paper. The charm and splendour), is published by Macchione.

 

For the first time in Italy, the volume, which contains 144 pages of history, documents and a rich iconography, takes stock of the real Varese Paper.

 

Four ladies, members of one of the wealthiest families in Lombardy, the Pontis, restarted the xylographic production of some ancient wooden prints initially recovered for the purpose of collecting.

 

A love of tradition and the fine arts, preserving the evidence of a fine Italian craft, and also a new appreciation of the artistic and historical heritage and its circulation internationally are the most significant elements that characterised the production of Varese paper, for a very short period of time, from 1902 to 1939.

This story never ceases to charm and to amaze; taking inspiration from an exhibition conceived and organised by the author at the Baptistry in Velate, entitled “Varese 1902. Storie di donne, storie di doni” (Stories of women, stories of gifts; December 2019), the volume also contains findings that are valuable from a collecting point of view.

 

Translated by Sara Francesca and Micol Viviani

Reviewed by Prof. Rolf Cook