As many of you might already know, a new project on paper in Iceland has started earlier this year: Life of Paper.
In Life of Paper we will examine the various life cycles of paper used in 17th-century Iceland from:
a) paper production, which in itself is a process of recycling, to
b) paper’s primary use in manuscripts and documents and
c) reuse of paper in bindings and as wrapper for Árni Magnússon’s apographs.
Our main questions are:
When and where was paper produced that was used in 17th-century Iceland? Are there preferences for certain paper qualities or paper makers?
When was 17th-century paper used? How much time passed between paper production and manuscript/document production? And how much time passed until paper was reused, for example in bindings?
When was paper reused in Iceland? Do times of hardship correlate with paper reuse, for example famine or war? Are there correlations between textual genre, secondary use and the social and geographical setting of the users and reusers of paper?
We will use two methods to establish the age of paper: first, watermark analysis and, for paper with no watermark, infrared spectroscopy. We will use palaeographic and codicological analysis combined with watermark analysis to examine possible connections between quire structures, textual content and paper stocks. We will also analyse possible correlations between paper, textual genre, social sphere, geographical settings and historical events.
In two case studies we will focus on the paper use of people from different regions and social spheres. An analysis and comparison of manuscripts connected to Brynjólfur Sveinsson (1605-1675), bishop of Skálholt in south Iceland, and his scribes will hopefully yield information on relative chronology of manuscript production as well as on the size of paper stocks and who supplied whom with paper. Another analysis, of the manuscripts of Hannes Gunnlaugsson (1640-1686), a farmer in the Westfjords and part of the region’s vibrant scribal community, in comparison with manuscripts from other scribes of the region will hopefully clarify his scribal role in his community and provide better insights into the import and distribution of paper in the Westfjords. A subsequent comparison of the results from these two case studies will hopefully lead to information on possible differences of paper use depending on geographical setting and educational and social backgrounds.
This three-year project is funded by Rannís, the Icelandic Centre for Research, and is housed at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Research in Reykjavík. Project leader is Beeke Stegmann, I am a post-doctoral researcher, Vasarė Rastonis is our conservator, and Lotte Lise Devoldere is our student assistant. Our most important – and most favourite – cooperation partners are Halldóra Kristinsdóttir, Rannver H. Hannesson and Ása Ester Sigurðardóttir from the National and University Library of Iceland.
We are very excited about our new project and hope that you’ll enjoy our updates via this blog!