The Rembrandt Watermark Project is an interactive multimedia program based upon research concerning watermarks observed in the printing papers of Rembrandt van Rijn. The program's original intent was to serve as an illustrated database which would accompany the printed watermark catalog. This database would enable the watermark scholar to print a 1:1 image of a beta-radiograph onto a sheet of plain paper or transparent mylar. The printed watermark image could then be superimposed over an existing watermark in order to establish type and approximate print date.
The program is divided into several levels, each with its own screen design. These levels are: watermark type, history, variant and subvariant. In the initial screen, the user can scroll through thirty-nine tracings of watermark types. Upon selecting a type of interest, the user gains entrance into subsequent screens which give additional information. Each type's variants are labelled and depicted in the tracings. At the final stage, the user has the option of printing the beta-radiograph image. The program's logical and user-friendly interface makes it an extremely useful guide for anyone interested in 17th-Century Dutch prints.
The Rembrandt Watermark CD-ROM is a work in progress. When completed, it will include not only the complete watermark catalog, but also information concerning papermaking in 17th-Century Europe and Rembrandt's career as a printmaker. There are additional plans to insert historical maps and an illustrated Bartsch concordance.