Parchment

Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin , sheepskin or goatskin , often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book , codex or manuscript . It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned , therefore it is very reactive with changes in relative humidity and is not waterproof. The finer qualities of parchment are called vellum . Even in modern times, parchment has been called the "finest writing material ever devised". Modern products do not reach the quality of medieval manufactured parchment. It is immensely strong, remains flexible indefinitely under normal conditions, does not deteriorate with age, and possesses a smooth, even surface which is both pleasant to the eye and provides unlimited scope for the finest writing and illumination. The quality of medieval parchments, with surfaces sealed for writing and painting on both sides, extraordinary strength, and durability over many centuries, has not yet been matched or surpassed.

Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame Parchment is a material made from processed animal skin and used—mainly in the past—for writing on. Parchment is most commonly made of calfskin , sheepskin , or goatskin . It was historically used for writing documents, notes, or the pages of a book . Parchment is limed , scraped and dried under tension. It is not tanned , and is thus different from leather . This makes it more suitable for writing on, but leaves it very reactive to changes in relative humidity and makes it revert to rawhide if overly wet. Increasingly, it is called animal membrane by libraries and museums, to avoid distinguishing between "parchment" and the more restricted term " vellum " (see below).

Writing material made from untanned skins of animals For other uses, see Parchment (disambiguation) . Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame Parchment with a quill and ink Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins of young animals such as lambs and young calves. It may be called animal membrane by libraries and museums that wish to avoid distinguishing between "parchment" and the more-restricted term "vellum" (see below).

Writing material made from untanned skins of animals For the cellulose-based composite used in baking, see Parchment paper . Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame Parchment with a quill and ink Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins of young animals such as lambs and young calves. It may be called animal membrane by libraries and museums that wish to avoid distinguishing between parchment and the more-restricted term vellum (see below).

Writing material made from animal skins For the cellulose-based composite used in baking, see Parchment paper . Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame Parchment with a quill and ink Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 most literature in these regions that was intended for preservation began to be transferred from papyrus to parchment. Vellum is a finer-quality parchment made from the skins of young animals such as lambs and young calves. The generic term animal membrane is sometimes used by libraries and museums that wish to avoid distinguishing between parchment and vellum.