Paper, Watermarks, and Artistic Practices

As part of the 8th International Conference on Watermarks in Digital Collections, hosted by The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, researchers from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera present investigations into the material history of paper and artistic production within the Academy’s collections. The participation is developed within a broader IartNET research framework coordinated by Nicoletta Leonardi. The conference contributions focused on the relationship between paper, watermarks, artistic practice, and archival documentation, highlighting how material analysis can provide new insights into the history of art education, artistic networks, and creative processes. In the paper Watermarks and Artistic Practices: Drawings by the Neoclassical Artists Andrea Appiani and Giuseppe Bossi in the Brera Academy of Fine Arts Collection, Chiara Palandri and Elisa Albano examined watermarks found in a selection of drawings preserved in the Brera collections. Through the study of paper supports and their manufacturing traces, the research reconstructed aspects of artistic production, circulation of materials, and workshop practices in the Neoclassical period, demonstrating the value of watermark analysis as a tool for art historical investigation.

In her presentation Late 19th–Early 20th Century Paper Types and Uses at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Gloria Boero explores the variety of paper types employed within the Academy between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By analysing teaching materials, artistic exercises, and archival documents, the study sheds light on the relationship between technological innovation, educational practices, and the material culture of art institutions during a period of profound transformation in artistic training. Together, these contributions demonstrate how the study of paper and watermarks can enrich our understanding of artistic heritage, connecting conservation, archival research, material history, and contemporary digital documentation practices.