Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk | contribs) The purpose of requesting a citation is not to present an open-ended challenge to random editors that might not be met for years, but to note specific statements that are in question. |
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==Manuscripts== |
==Manuscripts== |
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[[Image:Albrecht-self.jpg|thumb|right|225px|The earliest painted ''Self-Portrait'' (1493) by [[Albrecht Dürer]]; originally executed in oil on vellum, now transferred to linen. [[Louvre]], [[Paris]]]] |
[[Image:Albrecht-self.jpg|thumb|right|225px|The earliest painted ''Self-Portrait'' (1493) by [[Albrecht Dürer]]; originally executed in oil on vellum, now transferred to linen. [[Louvre]], [[Paris]]]] |
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Most of the finer sort of [[medieval]] manuscripts, whether [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated]] or not, were written on vellum. Some [[Gandharan Buddhist texts]] were written on vellum, and all Sifrei [[Torah]] (Hebrew: ספר תורה ; plural: ספרי תורה, Sifrei Torah) are written on [[kosher]] klaf or vellum. |
Most of the finer sort of [[medieval]] manuscripts, whether [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated]] or not, were written on vellum. Some [[Gandharan Buddhist texts]] were written on vellum, and all Sifrei [[Torah]] (Hebrew: ספר תורה ; plural: ספרי תורה, Sifrei Torah) are written on [[kosher]] klaf or vellum.{{fact|February 2010}} |
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A quarter of the 180 copy edition of [[Johannes Gutenberg]]'s first [[Gutenberg Bible|Bible]] printed in 1455 with [[movable type]] was also printed on vellum, presumably because his market expected this for a high-quality book. [[Paper]], however, was always used for most book-printing with rare exceptions, as it was cheaper and easier to process through a [[printing-press]] and [[bind]]. |
A quarter of the 180 copy edition of [[Johannes Gutenberg]]'s first [[Gutenberg Bible|Bible]] printed in 1455 with [[movable type]] was also printed on vellum,{{fact|February 2010}} presumably because his market expected this for a high-quality book. [[Paper]], however, was always used for most book-printing with rare exceptions, as it was cheaper and easier to process through a [[printing-press]] and [[bind]]. |
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In art, vellum was used widely for [[painting]]s, especially if they needed to be sent long distances, before [[canvas]] became widely used in about 1500, and continued to be used for [[drawing]]s, and [[watercolour]]s. [[Old master print]]s were sometimes printed on vellum, especially for presentation copies, until at least the seventeenth century. |
In art, vellum was used widely for [[painting]]s, especially if they needed to be sent long distances, before [[canvas]] became widely used in about 1500, and continued to be used for [[drawing]]s, and [[watercolour]]s.{{fact|February 2010}} [[Old master print]]s were sometimes printed on vellum, especially for presentation copies, until at least the seventeenth century. |
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[[Limp vellum]] or limp-parchment bindings were used frequently in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were sometimes gilt but were also often not [[embellishment|embellished]]. In later centuries vellum has been more commonly used like leather, that is, as the covering for stiff board bindings. Vellum can be stained virtually any color but seldom is, as a great part of its beauty and appeal rests in its faint grain and hair markings, as well as its warmth and simplicity. |
[[Limp vellum]] or limp-parchment bindings were used frequently in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were sometimes gilt but were also often not [[embellishment|embellished]]. In later centuries vellum has been more commonly used like leather, that is, as the covering for stiff board bindings. Vellum can be stained virtually any color but seldom is, as a great part of its beauty and appeal rests in its faint grain and hair markings, as well as its warmth and simplicity. |
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Lasting in excess of 1,000 years—[[Gregory the Great, Pastoral Care (Troyes, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 504)]], for example dates from about 600 and is in excellent condition—animal vellum can be far more durable than paper. For this reason, many important documents have been written on animal vellum, such as diplomas. Indeed, referring to a diploma as a "sheepskin" alludes to the time when diplomas were written on vellum made from animal hides. |
Lasting in excess of 1,000 years—[[Gregory the Great, Pastoral Care (Troyes, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 504)]], for example dates from about 600 and is in excellent condition—animal vellum can be far more durable than paper. For this reason, many important documents have been written on animal vellum, such as diplomas. Indeed, referring to a diploma as a "sheepskin" alludes to the time when diplomas were written on vellum made from animal hides. |
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Another example of a document written on vellum is the [[Faddan More Psalter]], discovered in July 2006 in a [[bog]] in Ireland, which was written over 1,000 years ago. |
Another example of a document written on vellum is the [[Faddan More Psalter]], discovered in July 2006 in a [[bog]] in Ireland, which was written over 1,000 years ago.{{fact|February 2010}} |
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==Modern use== |
==Modern use== |
Revision as of 00:28, 21 February 2010
Vellum (from the Old French Vélin, for "calfskin")[1] is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame, and scraping of the skin with a hemispherical knife. To create tension, scraping is alternated by wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice, and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing or printing ink.[2] Modern "paper vellum" is used for a variety of purposes, especially for plans, technical drawings and blueprints.
Material and manufacture
There is some confusion about the relationship between the words vellum and parchment. In Europe, from Roman times, the term vellum was used for the best quality of prepared skin, regardless of the animal from which the hide was obtained, calf, sheep and goat all being commonly used (other animals, including deer, donkey, horse, camel and even man[citation needed] have been used). The very best quality, so-called 'uterine vellum', was said to be made from the skins of stillborn or unborn animals, although the term was also applied to fine quality skins made from young animals.
Vellum is a translucent material produced from the skin, often split, of a young animal that has been soaked, limed, and scudded (a depilatory process), and then dried at normal temperature under tension, usually on a wooden device called a stretching frame. Although the term derives from the French for "calf", except for Jewish use, animal vellum can include hide from calfskin, sheepskin, or virtually any other mammal, e.g., antelope, deer, goat or pigs. The distinction between vellum and parchment has been made in several different ways, and no one definition can be considered correct, but vellum has always denoted the better quality. French sources, closer to the original etymology, tend to define velin as from calf only, while the British Standards Institution defines parchment as made from the split skin of several species, and vellum from the unsplit skin.[3] The important distinction between vellum (or parchment) and leather is that the former is not processed using tanning.[citation needed]
Manuscripts
Most of the finer sort of medieval manuscripts, whether illuminated or not, were written on vellum. Some Gandharan Buddhist texts were written on vellum, and all Sifrei Torah (Hebrew: ספר תורה ; plural: ספרי תורה, Sifrei Torah) are written on kosher klaf or vellum.[citation needed]
A quarter of the 180 copy edition of Johannes Gutenberg's first Bible printed in 1455 with movable type was also printed on vellum,[citation needed] presumably because his market expected this for a high-quality book. Paper, however, was always used for most book-printing with rare exceptions, as it was cheaper and easier to process through a printing-press and bind.
In art, vellum was used widely for paintings, especially if they needed to be sent long distances, before canvas became widely used in about 1500, and continued to be used for drawings, and watercolours.[citation needed] Old master prints were sometimes printed on vellum, especially for presentation copies, until at least the seventeenth century.
Limp vellum or limp-parchment bindings were used frequently in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were sometimes gilt but were also often not embellished. In later centuries vellum has been more commonly used like leather, that is, as the covering for stiff board bindings. Vellum can be stained virtually any color but seldom is, as a great part of its beauty and appeal rests in its faint grain and hair markings, as well as its warmth and simplicity.
Lasting in excess of 1,000 years—Gregory the Great, Pastoral Care (Troyes, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 504), for example dates from about 600 and is in excellent condition—animal vellum can be far more durable than paper. For this reason, many important documents have been written on animal vellum, such as diplomas. Indeed, referring to a diploma as a "sheepskin" alludes to the time when diplomas were written on vellum made from animal hides.
Another example of a document written on vellum is the Faddan More Psalter, discovered in July 2006 in a bog in Ireland, which was written over 1,000 years ago.[citation needed]
Modern use
British Acts of Parliament are still printed on vellum for archival purposes,[4] as are those of the Republic of Ireland.[5] True vellum is still used for Jewish scrolls, of the Torah in particular, for luxury book-binding, memorial books, and for various documents in calligraphy.
Today, because of low demand and complicated manufacturing process, animal vellum is expensive and hard to find. A modern imitation is made out of cotton. Known as paper vellum, this material is considerably cheaper than animal vellum and can be found in most art and drafting supply stores. Some brands of writing-paper and other sorts of paper use the term "vellum" merely to suggest quality, when it is not actually vellum.
In addition, Vellum is still used on some instruments, such as the banjo, although synthetic skins are also available for these instruments.
Paper vellum
Modern imitation or "paper vellum" is made from plasticized cotton. Usually translucent, paper vellum in various sizes is often used in applications where tracing is required, such as architectural plans. Like natural vellum,[citation needed] the synthetic is more dimensionally stable than a linen or paper sheet, which is frequently critical in the development of large scaled drawings and plans such as blueprints. It was also extremely important in that reproduction technology for dissemination of the plans as, like a high quality natural vellum, it could be produced in a thin enough sheet to be virtually transparent to strong light enabling a source drawing to be used directly in the reproduction of field-used drawings.
Preservation
True Vellum is typically stored in a stable environment with constant temperature and 30% (± 5%) relative humidity. If vellum is stored in an environment with less than 11% relative humidity, it becomes fragile, brittle, and susceptible to mechanical stresses; if it is stored in an environment with greater than 40% relative humidity, it becomes vulnerable to gelation and to mold or fungus growth.[6] The optimal temperature for the preservation of vellum is 20°C ± 1.5 (67°F ± 3).
References
- ^ Online Etymological Dictionary
- ^ http://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.html
- ^ Young, Laura, A., Bookbinding & conservation by hand: a working guide, Oak Knoll Press, 1995, ISBN 1884718116, 9781884718113, Google books
- ^ BBC report on Parliament's continued use of vellum
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions about the Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais
- ^ Eric F. Hansen and Steve N. Lee, “The Effects of Relative Humidity on Some Physical Properties of Modern Vellum: Implications for the Optimum Relative Humidity for the Display and Storage of Parchment,” The Book and Paper Group Annual (1991).