Medieval Manuscript Reproduction, Part 3c: Erasing a mistake

In the process of making a reproduction of a medieval manuscript, I erase a mistake by scraping the mistake off with a knife.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• medieval
• manuscript
• historical reproduction
• calligraphy
• parchment

[raisin212k]

wouldn't this make the surface rougher and change the way the ink is absorbed on the paper?

[BygoneArts]

@raisin212k Yes, it does change the writing surface. Depending on how deep I scratch and how I hold the knife, it can actually make the surface smoother.  Sometimes it's necessary to treat the vellum (it's calfskin vellum, not paper) by sanding it and rubbing pumice on it after scraping off a mistake. You can see this in lots of surviving medieval manuscripts - you can tell that a mistake has been scraped off, and the writing surface holds the ink differently than the surrounding areas.

[rmcdaniel423]

Is this a case where the "sword" is mightier than the pen?

[raisin212k]

@BygoneArts Oh, this makes sense. I didn't realize it was vellum. I have yet to work with it. Very useful info, thanks for the reply!

[idaspe]

@rmcdaniel423 Hahahahahahahahaha :o)