Image credit: Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum and Galleries
Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898)
Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum and Galleries
A drawing and printing surface, invented in China c. ad 100, in common use in Europe by the 16th century, superseding vellum or parchment. Fine paper is made from rag fibres mashed into a pulp which is laid across a wire mould that normally contains a wire design or watermark denoting the papermaker or paper size. The mould is pressed on to blankets or felts to which the paper adheres. After squeezing in a press to remove moisture, the sheets of paper are separated from the blankets or felts and hung up to dry.
They are then coated with animal or gelatine size to prevent them being porous like blotting-paper. Woven wire, in place of the ‘laid’ and ‘chain’ wires crossing each other at right angles in the traditional mould, was introduced in 1750. Wove paper is smoother than laid paper. Machine-made paper, produced in rolls and made from wood-pulp, was developed in the early 19th century. It is coarser, impure, and discolours rapidly.
Text source: 'The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms' (2nd Edition) by Michael Clarke
