Vellum

Vellum is a special kind of material made from prepared animal skin. People used it a long time ago for writing and printing instead of paper. It is often made from the skin of a young cow, called calfskin, and is usually smoother and of higher quality than another writing material called parchment.

The process of making vellum includes cleaning, bleaching, and stretching the skin on a frame. Workers also scrape the skin with a special tool called a lunellum to make it smooth and ready for writing. Because of how it is made, vellum can feel different depending on the quality of the skin and the way it is prepared.

Today, some materials look like vellum but are actually made from plant cellulose fibers. These are called modern paper vellum, and they are used for similar purposes because they are also very high quality. Vellum was important for making single pages, scrolls, and early books called codices.

Description

Vellum is made from animal skin or membrane and is used for writing. It is often different from parchment because it is made from calfskin or is of a higher quality. Vellum can be used for single pages, scrolls, and books.

To make vellum, the skin is cleaned, bleached, stretched on a frame, and scraped with a special knife. The process includes wetting and drying the skin to create tension. Finally, the surface is cleaned and treated to make it ready for writing.

Terminology

Modern scholars often use the word membrane to talk about both vellum and parchment, because it can be hard to tell which animal was used without special tests.

The word vellum comes from the Old French word vélin, meaning 'calfskin'. It is based on the Latin word vitulinum, also meaning 'made from calf'. In Europe, the word vellum was used for the highest quality prepared skin, no matter which animal it came from. Calf, sheep, and goat skins were most common, but other animals like pig, deer, donkey, horse, or camel were also used sometimes. The very best quality, called "uterine vellum", was said to be made from the skins of unborn animals, though this term was also used for very fine skins from young animals. Over time, the differences between these words have become mixed up.

In 1519, a writer named William Horman wrote that the material we write on, made from animal skins, is sometimes called parchment, sometimes vellum, sometimes abortyve, and sometimes membraan. In 1936, another writer, Lee Ustick, said that today, vellum is a very refined form of skin, while parchment is a cruder, thicker, and less polished form, without any difference based on the type of animal.

French sources often say that velin comes only from calfskin, while the British Standards Institution says that parchment is made from split skin of several animals, and vellum is made from unsplit skin. For artists who work with writing, lighting, lettering, and bookbinding, vellum usually means calfskin, while any other skin is called parchment.

Manufacture

Vellum is made from the skin of a young animal. The skin is washed with water and a substance called calcium hydroxide, then soaked to soften and remove the hair.

Once clean, the skin has two sides: the body side and the hairy side. The body side is usually lighter and smoother. The outer side may show hair follicles and scars from when the animal was alive, as well as patterns from the animal's veins, called veining.

Any remaining hair is removed, and the skin is stretched on a frame to dry. Once dry, the skin is cut into sheets. A single piece of skin can make several sheets, depending on its size and how big each sheet needs to be. Makers also rub the sheets to help ink stick better, though some ink might wear off over time.

Manuscripts

Preparing manuscripts

After vellum is ready, it is often grouped into sets called quires. These quires were the main units scribes used during the Middle Ages. Lines are drawn on the vellum to guide writing. Small holes are made first, and then lines are ruled between these holes to help writers keep their text straight.

Usage

Many beautiful medieval books, whether decorated or plain, were written on vellum. Some very old Buddhist texts and all Jewish Torah scrolls are written on vellum. A part of Johannes Gutenberg’s first Bible, printed in 1455, was also on vellum because people wanted the highest quality for their books. Paper was used more often because it was cheaper and easier to print on, but vellum was chosen for special copies.

Artists used vellum for paintings that needed to travel far before canvas became common around 1500. Vellum was also used for drawings and watercolors. Special book covers made from thin vellum were popular in the 1500s and 1600s. Vellum can be stained many colors, but it is often left natural to show its unique texture.

Vellum lasts much longer than paper—some examples are over 1,000 years old. Because of this, important documents like diplomas are often written on vellum. The term “sheepskin” for a diploma comes from the time when these documents were written on animal skin.

Modern usage

In the United Kingdom, official laws are still printed on vellum for keeping records, though this practice changed in 2016. Special covers made from vellum are still used for important copies of laws. Today, real animal vellum is rare and expensive because it is difficult to make. One company in Buckinghamshire still makes traditional vellum. A cheaper imitation called paper vellum is made from cotton and is used in art supplies and for high-quality writing paper.

Vellum is still used for Jewish Torah scrolls, fancy book covers, and special documents. It is also used for musical instruments like the banjo and bodhran, though synthetic materials are now more common.

The Catholic Church still writes its official documents and awards on vellum.

Paper vellum

Modern paper vellum is made from plant fibers and is used for tracing, technical drawings, plans, and blueprints. It is very similar to tracing paper but often of higher quality.

Preservation

Vellum works best when kept in a place with steady temperature and about 30% moisture in the air. If the air is too dry, below 11% moisture, the vellum can become weak and break easily. If the air is too moist, above 40% moisture, the vellum can get damaged and grow mould or fungus. This is different from what works best for paper, which makes it tricky for libraries. The best temperature to keep vellum is around 20 °C (68 °F).