Riccardo Luci Firenze

13 RICCARDO LUCI FIRENZE

2025

MARCH 2025

ROLE: Photographer, Author
SITE: Riccardo Luci Firenze

Photographer Graciela Iturbide’s work stood out to me for its intimacy when capturing art and artisanship in relation to culture and the history of a community. Known for documenting Indigenous Mexican communities, Iturbide beautifully centers traditional artistic practices in the context of people’s relationships with each other and their craft.

This approach was one that I was looking to channel in the following reportage. I decided to visit Riccardo Luci’s paper shop, where he creates beautiful designs on paper and leather goods using traditional Florentine methods. While making my photographs, I sought to recreate those same feelings of intimacy and cultural significance, capturing not just the process but the hands and history behind the artistic practice.

Riccardo Luci’s work is more than just an occupation– it is a legacy. His family’s bookbinding business dates back to 1908, started by his great-grandfather and passed down through generations. Riccardo began working in the shop in 1991, preserving the traditional techniques while bringing his own spin to the craft. While marbling has always been part of his family’s history, Riccardo was the first to experiment with a more vibrant color palette, a defining characteristic of the many designs that his shop features today.

Beyond the shop itself, Riccardo is committed to sharing the practice with others. He hosts workshops, teaching visitors the history and techniques of marbling to ensure that this centuries-old craft continues to stand the test of time. Among the many designs he creates, the most iconic is the “coda di pavone,” or “tail of the peacock,” a pattern deeply tied to Florentine tradition. The hypnotic swirls of color featured in this design have remained a staple of the city’s artistic identity for generations.

Through my own lens, I aimed to highlight not just the artistry of Riccardo’s work, but the deeper story it tells of heritage, adaptation, and the enduring power of craft. In the same way that Iturbide captures the soul of her subjects through their connection to art, I wanted my images to reflect the warmth, meaning, and devotion that Riccardo pours into every design in his shop.

Riccardo uses a paintbrush to drop acrylic paints into a liquid bed prepared with an algae gel necessary for the marbling process.

A newly decorated paper with the “coda di pavone” design dries on the workshop table.

Riccardo uses a special tool to create the intricate “coda di pavone” design.

On the shelves of his workshop, Riccardo displays several sentimental objects and photos, including a photo of a demonstration he was invited to do in Japan twenty years ago.

Riccardo takes a photo of his great-grandfather off of the shelf and poses for a photo.

Hi! I’m Delaney.︎

Riccardo Luci Firenze

Hi! I’m Delaney.︎