Paper from the 15th and 16th Centuries

By the time the Liber Chronicarum of 1493 was printed and distributed, papermaking and papermills were well-established over Europe, and the demand for paper for books and Bibles, for documents, for art, and wrapping, was unceasing. The mills thrived and production soared. Rags were the most valuable and sought-after commodity for making paper and were often in short supply. Although the papermakers of the time may not have intended it or even known it, the paper they made with linen rags and fermentation techniques during the 15th and 16th centuries is some of the most durable and beautiful paper ever made. The Vanderbilt Library’s copy of the Liber Chronicarum has recently been restored and conserved, and its pages, over 500 years old, remain remarkably fresh and bright and sturdy.