vellum
Originally, a translucent or opaque material
produced from calfskin that had been soaked, limed
and unhaired, and then dried at normal temperature
under tension, usually on a wooden device called a
stretching frame. Today, however, vellum is
generally defined as a material made from
calfskin, sheepskin, or virtually any other skin
obtained from a relatively small animal, e.g.,
antelope. Some authorities do not even distinguish
between vellum and parchment, although
traditionally the former was made from an unsplit
calfskin, and consequently had a grain pattern on
one side (unless removed by scraping). while the
latter was produced from the flesh split of a
sheepskin, and consequently had no grain pattern.
The important distinction between vellum (or
parchment) and leather is that the former is not
tanned hut is prepared essentially by soaking the
skin in lime and drying it under tension. For a
description of its manufacture, seePARCHMENT .
Most medieval manuscripts, whether illuminated or
not. were written on vellum. Uterine vellum was
made in the 13th and 14th centuries from the skins
of unborn or still-born animals. See: SLUNK .
Limp vellum or limp-parchment bindings were used
frequently in the 16th and 17th centuries, and
were sometimes gilt but were also often not
embellished. In later centuries vellum has been
more commonly used like leather, that is, as the
covering for stiff board bindings. Vellum can be
stained virtually any color but seldom is, as a
great part of its beauty and appeal rests in its
faint grain and hair markings, as well as its
warmth and simplicity. See also: VEINY LEATHER . (192 , 218 , 236 , 291 )
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