Art Word of the Day: Parchment

artopium (66)in #wordoftheday • 5 years ago

Term: Parchment

Definition: An ancestor to contemporary paper,

parchment is a material on which to write or paint prepared from the skin of a sheep or goat. It replaced the use of papyrus during the ancient Roman period. Monastic scribes of the Middle Ages practically monopolized its use in Europe preceding the introduction there of papermaking techniques utilizing plant fibers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Parchment may also refer to paper made in imitation of this material.Examples of works on true parchment:Petrus Christus (Netherlandish, active by 1444, died 1475/76), Head of Christ, c. 1445, oil on parchment, laid down on wood, overall 5 7/8 x 4 1/4 inches (14.9 x 10.8 cm), parchment 5 3/4 x 4 1/8 inches (14.6 x 10.5 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See miniature.Sofonisba Anguissola (Italian, c. 1535-1625), Self-Portrait, c. 1555, oil on parchment, 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches (8.2 x 6.3 cm), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The artist holds a medallion inscribed in Latin around the rim: "The maiden Sofonisba Anguissola, depicted by her own hand, from a mirror, at Cremona." Inside the circle is a cryptogram whose entwined letters are included in the name of Anguissola's father, Amilcare. The meaning and original purpose of this enigmatic portrait remain a mystery. See Baroque, circle, cryptic, feminism and feminist art, miniature, mirror, oval, and self-portrait.Related link: The article on parchment and vellum in Drawing Materials and Drawing Techniques, a Guide and Glossary by Michael Miller. Also see bristol board, illustration board, incunabulum, oaktag, scroll, and vellum.

An ancestor to contemporary paper, parchment is a material on which to write or paint prepared from the skin of a sheep or goat. It replaced the use of papyrus during the ancient Roman period. Monastic scribes of the Middle Ages practically monopolized its use in Europe preceding the introduction there of papermaking techniques utilizing plant fibers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Parchment may also refer to paper made in imitation of this material.

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