What was the purpose of Claude Lorrain's Liber Veritatis?

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van de Velde, Adriaen: River Landscape in the Late Afternoon — Landscape painting *River Landscape in the Late Afternoon*, oil on canvas by Adriaen van de Velde, 1663; in a private collection.

Claude Lorrain’s Liber Veritatis (“Book of Truth”) served several important functions for the artist:

Authentication: Claude undertook the project primarily as a safeguard against the forgery of his paintings.1
Record-keeping: The volume contains 195 drawings that act as an invaluable record of his artistic development. Each entry includes notes on the back identifying the patron or the destination for which the painting was commissioned, as well as the date for works created in the second half of the book.1
Reference: Beyond its role as a catalog, the book became a work of art in its own right and may have served as a repository of motifs that Claude could draw upon for new compositions.1

Compiled in chronological order starting around 1635, the Liber Veritatis remains a vital document for understanding the career and patronage of this master of landscape painting.1