The Paper and Watermark Museum is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
of
Fabriano
Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of Province of Ancona, Ancona province in the Italy, Italian region of the Marche, at Above mean sea level, above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley upstream and southwest of Jesi; and east-northeast of Foss ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Based on the
paper-making
Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...
tradition of Fabriano, which is documented since the 12th Century, the museum focusses on handmade paper and
watermark
A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...
techniques in
Medieval Italy
The history of Italy in the Middle Ages can be roughly defined as the time between the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance. The term "Middle Ages" itself ultimately derives from the description of the period of "obscu ...
.
Description
The Fabrianese papermakers probably learned the techniques from the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
, and were able to sufficiently refine and perfect the process for their paper to successfully compete with
parchment
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 ...
.
The Fabrianese papermakers also developed different types of multiple
hammer mills used to grind the rag cloth, and a method of sizing paper by means of
animal glue
Animal glue is an adhesive that is created by prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue in a process called rendering. In addition to being used as an adhesive it is used for coating and sizing, in decorative composition ornaments, and as a ...
.
The introduction of watermarks in Fabriano was related to applying metal wires on a cover laid against the mould used for forming the paper.
In addition to the permanent collections, which present the development of the paper manufacturing industry, the museum gives practical demonstrations, as well as educational courses and workshops (how to make paper using ancient manufacturing techniques, understanding the chemical peculiarities of lithographic printing, inking and printing with an original press, etc.).
See also
*
Cartiere Miliani Fabriano
*
Archivio storico delle Cartiere Miliani Fabriano
References
External links
Museo della carta - Official Website
Museums in Marche
Fabriano
Industry museums in Italy
Papermaking museums
{{Italy-museum-stub