2020 Essays

Molding Paper with Raised Letters

Carlson, Raymond Edward; Katz, Jordan; Gokturk, Baris

“Letters and molded paper” on fol. 131r of BnF Ms. Fr. 640 describes how to lay thick ink on paper, apply eau-de-vie, mold it, then cast it in metal. The purpose of “lifecast” paper with writing was not clear to the first cohort of students who reconstructed this procedure, however, over the course of two subsequent reconstructions of molding paper with raised letters, students gained further insight into this brief entry. These reconstructions considered and experimented with various materials in the entry, and compared this entry to others in the manuscript that show the author-practitioner’s concern with practical techniques for casting thin, delicate things, such as insect wings.