Sheep vellum

Sheep flock

Description

A fine, white parchment made from untanned sheepskin. Skins for vellum typically come from newborn or stillborn animals. Vellum is made by cleaning, dehairing, scraping and stretching the skin until a smooth, thin semitransparent page is obtained. The final smoothing step involves polishing with pumice or talc to create a smooth writing surface. Vellum is also made from calfskin and goatskin.

Synonyms and Related Terms

vitela (Esp.)

Authority

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982