Handmade Paper: Its History, Manufacturing, Features and Watermarks

Članak donosi kratki pregled povijesti ručne izrade papira, od njegova izuma u Kini oko 105. godine, preko širenja kroz arapski svijet i dolaska u Europu, pa sve do konca 18. stoljeća, kada je počela strojna proizvodnja papira. Povijest ručno rađenoga papira duga je i zanimljiva, od prvih pronalazaka kao zamjena za pergamentnu podlogu za pisanje pa sve do prvih strojeva za usitnjavanje papirne pulpe. Putovanje tehnologije papira kroz zemlje Azije preko arapskih zemalja do Europe trajalo je 11 stoljeća i doživjelo različite tehnološke promjene. Neke od njih sačuvane su do današnjih dana kao dio tradicije izrade papira. Dolaskom u Europu tehnologija i sirovina prilagođeni su ovdašnjim mogućnostima: tako su se za sirovinu počeli koristiti laneni krpeni ostatci, a kao dodatak želatina. Unaprjeđena je tehnologija, proširili su se papirni mlinovi, a potražnja za papirom bila je sve veća zbog izuma tiskarskoga stroja, sve veće produkcije knjiga i potrebe za pisanim podlogama za druge zapise. U članku je prikazan i povijesni razvoj vodenih znakova, od najranijih sačuvanih, jednostavnih znakova iz Cremone, na području današnje Italije, do složenijih, koji su se postupno javljali razvojem tehnologije. Kolekcionari vodenih znakova papira svojom skupljačkom strašću doveli su i do razvitka pomoćne povijesne znanosti filigranologije. Danas su tomu dijelu povijesti papira posvećene čitave digitalne platforme diljem Europe, evidentirajući njihovu pojavu, koja može pomoći u datiranju papira, a ponekad i dokumenata.The article briefly outlines the history of the handmade paper production, from its invention in China in 105 CE, its expansion through the Arab world and its arrival in Europe, to the end of the 18th century when paper began to be manufactured by machines. The history of the handmade paper is a long and interesting one, since its first invention as a replacement for parchment which was a writing basis until the first machines for grinding the paper pulp. The paper technology’s voyage through Asian countries via Arab countries to Europe had lasted 11 centuries and had gone through various technological changes. Some of those have been kept until today as part of the paper manufacturing tradition. After paper arrived in Europe the technology and raw material had been adjusted to local feasibilities: linen rags began to be used as raw material, with gelatine as an addition. The technologies became more advanced, paper mills expanded and the demand for paper increased as the result of the invention of the printing press and higher book production. The paper also outlines the historical development of watermarks, from the oldest surviving simple ones from Cremona, Italy to the more complex ones that gradually appeared as the result of the technological advancement. Paper watermark collectors and their collecting passion are responsible for the development of the new auxiliary historic science i.e. filigranology. Today entire digital platforms across Europe are dedicated to this part of paper history, registering their appearance that can help in dating the paper and sometimes even documents