Filigranology is the study of watermarks. It is usually pursued in order to discover information about the date and origin for a paper-based piece of writing or a piece of art. There are several catalogues of watermarks – most notably C. M. Briquet's, Les Filigranes (1907) – including illustrations of many watermarks from dated documents to aid those wishing to undertake this kind of research.
References
- Bidwell, J. (1992). The study of paper as evidence, artefact, and commodity. pp 69-82. in Davison, P. H. The Book encompassed: Studies in twentieth-century bibliography. Oak Knoll Press Archived 2016-12-25 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed in Dec 2013)