Wasli

Wasli, also referred to as Wasli paper, is a kind of handmade paper specifically for the painting of miniatures. It was developed in the 10th century in India.

Recent applications of Wasli ( cooked by hand paper of different thickness) range from classic / traditional painting with opaque colors on buildings up to miniature paintings. The word Wasli came from the Persian word Vasl what Union means (collectively come to be one).

Wasli is an acid-free archival paper and has qualities. Insects can not feed the paper, since the poison copper sulfate / Neela Thootha is used in the preparation. In order to use it for the miniature painting, the layered paper is polished with either a smooth glass or a shell. Thus, the paper is glossy, smooth and has a minimally perceptible grain.

A sheet Wasli is made by gluing together several layers of paper, then it is polished by hand until it is shiny and smooth.