Annonce pour un stage sur la fabrication du papier bleu, avec une bourse pour 6 personnes.
Moulin du Verger, Puymoyen, France | August 3–7, 2026
https://www.bluepaperresearch.org
The Blue Paper Research Consortium (BPRC) is pleased to announce a five-day intensive workshop dedicated to the history and manufacture of handmade blue paper.
Held at the Moulin du Verger, a working sixteenth-century papermill in the Charente region, near Angoulême, this workshop is a rare opportunity to bridge historical research with material practice. Participants will work alongside a team of specialists to explore pre-industrial papermaking and dyeing methods, drawing on years of interdisciplinary research into Western European blue paper.
Workshop Overview
This immersive program explores the manufacturing of Western European blue paper and its historical applications in European art. Participants will experiment with traditional techniques, preparing their own reference sheets with various coloring methods.
Objectives:
- Discovering traditional Western European papermaking techniques
- Preparing blue dyes from natural colorants
- Identifying papermaking- and dyeing techniques from samples
- Exploring the applications of blue paper by artists in Europe (prints, drawings, pastels, books) before 1800
Registration & Fees
- Dates: August 3–7, 2026
- Location: Moulin du Verger, Puymoyen, France
- Cost: 1,300 EUR (Includes all workshop materials, excludes daily lunch at the mill, travel, dinner, and accommodation)
- Capacity: Limited to 8 participants to ensure a high-quality learning experience.
Grant Opportunity: Supporting Diversity and Future Professionals
Through the generous support of the Tavolozza Foundation, we are proud to offer six full-tuition grants for the 2026 workshop.
The BPRC and the Tavolozza Foundation are committed to ensuring that specialized knowledge in historical paper technology remains accessible to a broad and inclusive community. These grants are intended to support graduate students, junior professionals, and colleagues from under-resourced institutions.
The program aims to:
- Expand Access to Specialized Knowledge: Provide emerging scholars and professionals with hands-on training in historical papermaking and dyeing techniques that are rarely accessible through conventional academic programs.
- Bridge the Resource Gap: Provide high-level professional development to those whose institutions may lack the funding for international specialized training.
- Empower Emerging Voices: Support the next generation of paper historians, conservators, and curators by providing direct access to master craftsmen and leading researchers.
- Enrich Scholarly Dialogue: Foster a diverse group of participants whose varied geographic, institutional, and cultural perspectives contribute to a richer exchange of ideas and research.
The grant includes:
- Full workshop registration (€1,300 value)
- Daily lunch at the mill
Grant recipients are responsible for travel, accommodation, and dinners.
How to Apply for the Grant
Please submit:
- Motivation letter explaining how the workshop will benefit your research or professional practice
- Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
Application deadline: April 15, 2026
Applications should be sent to:
- Leila Sauvage – leila.sauvage@gmail.com
- Edina Adam – EAdam@getty.edu
Please include “Blue Paper Workshop Grant Application” in the subject line.
Standard Registration
In addition to the funded places, two (2) standard registration spots are available at the fee of €1,300.
Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, please contact:
- Leila Sauvage – leila.sauvage@gmail.com
- Edina Adam – EAdam@getty.edu
Preliminary Program
Day 1
Theory: What is paper? (part I) Introduction to the history of Western handmade papermaking. Identification and analysis of historical papers. Characterization of various paper moulds. Instructor: Nadine Dumain
Practice: Guided exploration of the Moulin du Verger. Preparation of paper pulp from linen and hemp rags with a stamper. Instructor: Jacques Bréjoux
Day 2
Theory: History of indigo dyeing, chemistry of indigo, from plan to dyestuff, various vat preparations. Instructor: Cecilia Aguirre
Practice: Production of white sheets, followed by pressing and drying. Instructor: Didier Navarot
Practice: Demonstration of an indigo and pastel reduction. Preparation of reduced indigo and dyeing vats for coloring wool and other fibers used in papermaking. Application of blue surface washes to white sheets; immersion of sheets in an indigo vat; drying. Instructor: Cecilia Aguirre
Day 3
Theory: “The Myth of Blue Paper:” Common preconceptions of blue paper and what the primary sources and material evidence actually reveal. Instructor: Edina Adam
Practice: Production of blue sheets using two methods: colored rags (produced on Day 2) and dyed pulp. Preparation of gelatine for sizing. Instructors: Cecilia Aguirre and Didier Navarot
Day 4
Theory: The Artistic Applications of Blue Paper from ca. 1400 to ca. 1800: Blue Paper as a Drawing Support. Instructor: Edina Adam
Practice: Gelatine sizing of selected blue and white sheets. Continued blue sheet formation, pressing and drying. Instructor: Didier Navarot
Practice: Observation of historical sheets under various lighting conditions and magnification. Instructors: Nadine Dumain and Leila Sauvage
Day 5
Practice: What is paper? (part II) Examinations of blue sheets, including both recreated samples and historical examples. Instructors: Nadine Dumain and Leila Sauvage
Practice and Discussion: Drawing exercise using dry and wet media on unsized and sized sheets. Final discussion on outcomes, findings, and how they inform participants’ individual research interests. Instructors: Leila Sauvage and Edina Adam
Bios
Jacques Bréjoux has directed the Moulin du Verger paper mill since 1972. A self-taught papermaker, he gradually reconstructed the traditional Western papermaking process for printing and writing, reviving a craft that had been lost since the late 19th century. At Moulin du Verger, paper is made from linen and hemp rags, which are transformed into pulp and refined using a stamper. Since 2006, Bréjoux has led workshops at Moulin du Verger, where he previously collaborated with Christopher Clarkson. In 2016, he was awarded the title of Art Master in papermaking. He regularly gives lectures worldwide on the history of papermaking techniques.
Nadine Dumain graduated in bookbinding and gilding from the renowned École Estienne (National School of Arts and Graphic Industries, Paris) in 1990. For the past 25 years, she has worked as a bookbinder and book conservator at the Moulin du Verger paper mill. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with book conservator Christopher Clarkson and papermaker Jacques Bréjoux in developing professional workshops on paper case bindings. She has also taught bookbinding to conservators and curators at Moulin du Verger, at the École Estienne in Paris, and at the University of Amsterdam. During the workshop, she will share her expertise in the examination of historical paper sheets and in the use of paper within bound structures.
Didier Navarot was trained as a papermaker at the Moulin du Verger, where he has worked for over 40 years. In addition to producing paper, he has conducted extensive research into the reconstruction of historical papermaking processes, including those used for Arabic papers and Western blue papers.
Leila Sauvage graduated from the Book and Paper Conservation program at Paris-Sorbonne University in 2010. She subsequently specialized in the conservation of friable media drawings and paintings. Since 2011, she has worked at the Rijksmuseum as a paper conservator and conservation scientist. In 2020, she was appointed Head Lecturer and Coordinator of the Book and Paper Conservation program at the University of Amsterdam. She continues to work part-time at the Rijksmuseum on conservation science projects related to paper conservation. During the workshop, she will present the results of her research on historical blue papers,
with a particular focus on 17th- and 18th-century Dutch blue papers and 18th-century blue papers used for pastel paintings.
Edina Adam joined the J. Paul Getty Museum as Assistant Curator of Drawings in 2018. Since then, she has organized several exhibitions, including William Blake: Visionary, Drawing on Blue: European Drawings on Blue Paper, 1400–1750, and Lines of Connection: Drawing and Printmaking, 1400–1850. In her current role as Associate Curator, she frequently collaborates with paper conservators and scientists, as evidenced by her publications and ongoing research project on early modern blue paper. A dedicated educator, Edina also supervises undergraduate and graduate interns, co-teaches an annual workshop on traditional drawing techniques, and established a recurring summer intern exhibition project entitled Our Voices/Our Getty.
Cecilia Aguirre: A 2000 graduate of IFROA, Cecilia works in textile conservation for museums and historic monuments. She also specializes in natural dyeing techniques, which she has successfully revived through the rigorous practice of her craft. She regularly provides training for students at the INP (Institut National du Patrimoine), as well as for a wider community of textile artisans, focusing on the professional use of natural dyes. Deeply committed to an ecological and responsible approach, she continually strives to align her values and practice. In 2017, she founded the Micro-ferme des Lilas, a certified organic farm where agriculture thoughtfully blends with art and culture.
