Parchment


The parchment indicates a Peau glossy Couleur clear like support with the writing by a craftsman parchment manufacturer. The papyrus, used in Occident until the 7th century leaves room thus to a material resulting from the animal world. In the past, the parchment was also employed like reinforcement in certain musical instruments and like vibration for the percussions surfaces. The parchment can be used in sheath-making of furnishing. According to Pline, it is the king of Pergame which would have introduced its employment to the II E following an embargo on the papyrus. Thus, so of the prepared skins had already been used during one or two millenia, the “parchment” itself (word derived from pergamena , “skin of Pergame”) was sophisticated towards the II E with the Bibliothèque of Pergame in Asia Mineure.

The animal skins (of Goat, of Sheep, Calf, Pig or lamb) undergo a treatment to become imputrescibles. They are degreased and fleshed to preserve only the Derme. Thereafter they are soaked in a bath of limes, scraped using a Couteau to remove the hairs easily and the remainders of flesh and finally thinned, polished and bleached with a stone sandpapers and of the chalk powder. Once the completed preparation, one can distinguish a difference of color and texture between the " side poil" (also called " side fleur") and the side flesh. This preparation thus allows the writing on the two faces of the skin. According to the animal, the quality of the parchment varies (thickness, flexibility, grain, texture, color…).

The parchment is cut out in sheets. These last can be assembled in various forms:

  • the Volumen is a whole of bent sheets the ones with the others and forms a roller (used until the 5th century). One still finds it very often at the 15th century for example in Brittany, to be used for the long drafting of the lawsuits,
  • the Codex (used as from the 2nd century), is a whole of sheets bent in books and can be regarded as the ancestor of the delivers modern.

The parchments in skin of Calf still-born child, of a very fine structure, are called Vélin S. They differ from the parchments by their semi-transparent aspect. It are manufactured starting from very young Veau the X, most beautiful and most required in general coming from the Fœtus.

In the past, the term parchment got busy like synonym of Diplôme.

The parchment is a complex support to manufacture, expensive, but extremely durable. If the usual Papier S yellow in a few years, one finds with the Public records quantity of parchments still perfectly white, and thus ink is perfectly black. Also, it offers the advantage of being more resistant and allows folding. It will be the only support of the Copiste S with the Middle Ages until the Papier appears and supplants it. At the end of the 14th century, it is used primarily for the realization of invaluable documents, of printed of luxury or to carry out bindings. Expensive support, one avoided wasting it. Also, one repaired the skins damaged with wire and one re-used the old parchments after the writing was scraped: they are called the Palimpseste S.

It is current to see people (BFR) confusing Papyrus and parchment. These two supports of writing are however absoluement different.

See too

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