There is a lot going on in Pieter van Laer's 1630s "Self-Portrait with Magic Scene" (e.g. #earlymodern#alchemy and #magic, and #books). But have a look at the paper cone in the right foreground of the painting. Likely seeds or #peppercorns are spilling out. This is relevant for #PaperHistory and #BookHistory, dear #histodons.
Paper was used for more than just writing, drawing, and printing, as #histodons of #EarlyModernEurope know. Paper was mainly used for wrapping purposes too, as I said here in my introduction to the volume "The Paper Trade in Early Modern Europe. Practices, Materials, Networks"
Add comment