Parchment for Heraldry and Genealogy
Customers often ask why we depict heraldic and genealogical artworks on premium parchments. Today we want to share some interesting facts about this material and you will know the reason why parchment is the most suitable material to show your family history on it.
Parchment is more resistant than paper
We are pretty sure that all of you once heard about degeneration of paper due to damaging environmental influences. Libraries can tell you a thing or two about it. This is why they spend tons of money for the conservation of their books.
Contrary to objects, which were written down on parchment 500 years ago or even more. At this works you can recognize the patina of the age but cannot see any trace of destruction.
To the joy of many generations
Parchment may be more expensive than conventional surfaces for artworks but it ensures a long life. Therefore, even your generations that you won’t get to know will enjoy the sight of their Family Trees.
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- Großes Hautpergament mit ca. 2,5m x 2,3m
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- Unsere Experten begutachten das Hautpergament
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- Hautpergament ausgerollt
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- kleineres Hautpergament
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- Hautpergament wird geprüft
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- Dr. Sutter, Clemens Kech und Caroline Bock vermessen das Hautpergament
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- Hautpergament wird vermessen
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- Hautpergament wird eingerollt
A natural product
As a product of the nature parchment reacts to fluctuations of the surrounding atmosphere like temperature, humidity and action of light. This is why it should not be exposed to the full sunlight. Also it is important not to hang them on moist walls or above the heating.
Large samples are rare
On the photos below you will also see a relative large exemplar. It is really rare to get such great samples since we want to ensure determined quality standards. Therefore, it is difficult to get a skin, that is not too thick at all and also have a uniform color of ivory.
For our artworks we prefer skins of heifers and calves, who have a light fur since darker furs have pigment spots on the darker places.
After pulling off the skin, it is scratched and cleaned double-sided. The hair is removed and the top gets grinded smooth and treated with several chemicals. When we get the parchments we measure them and determine which slab sizes are most suitable. Afterwards we bring it up on Alucobond plates to obtain its shape.
If you are curious about the next steps which is the artistically realization, please have a closer look at following post: The Family Tree – Step by Step
This post is also available in: German