Medieval manuscripts are made with a blue-black ink to which tannins are no stranger: from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, our inks were prepared with tannin! Let us begin by recalling the love affair between tannins and metals: tannins, in fact, bind to...
The first encounter with our ancestors probably happened on the shore of a pond or in a cave. Men had started to hunt big animals with the help of spears and to use the skin of these killed preys to protect themselves against the cold. Being organic materials, after a...
The Sumerians were among the first populations to to tan skins, using various methods (aldehydes, essential oils) and Galls tannin. The techniques of vegetable tanning were later perfected by the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Persians, who used plant extracts...
The Medieval and Renaissance tanneries continued the tradition of the tanning bath, meaning that the hides were immersed in a solution of tannin and water for weeks The Medicean court required by law for the hides to be left in contact with Chestnut tannin for at...
As soon as they landed in the Americas, the Europeans discovered the existence of new plant species, some of which will prove to be particularly suitable for tannin extraction. In particular, two plants from South America: Quebracho, widespread in the present...
The Eighteenth century sees the birth of a new method of study of Nature, based on a systematic approach. These are the years of the encyclopedias, of a new relationship between Man and Nature. The study of sciences, and in particular of chemistry, makes a...
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