The Voynich Ninja

bi3, I like your examples in terms of the lamb being on top of something lofty.

@JKP: Another Marriage of the lamb

Bodleian Library MS. Douce 180, 1250–1275, folio You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

There are a number of lambs or sheep on altars or tables. There are various representations of divine figures enclosed in a vesica piscis. The purpose of my inquiry here is to find the combination of a lamb or sheep inside a vesica piscis - preferably on it own, preferably with blood or some other substance in the form of droplets as a way to compare with and better understand the illustration found in the "Apocalypse of S. Jean", produced in Liege in 1313.

The interest in this particular illustrations stems from the three part structure composed of the lamb, a cosmic boundary and collection of descending droplets, which is ostensibly equivalent to the structure of the VMs critter, nebuly line and the series of vertical lines found on f80v.

Only a few illustrations have been discovered that match the initial requirement of a lamb inside a vesica piscis, and none have the descending droplets seen in the 1313 apocalypse. One of the early English illustrations does show blood, but it is spurting into a goblet that is within the vesica piscis. The French illustration c. 1370-1390 has a vesica piscis combined with a cloud band, which is a technique also found in the 1313 apocalypse, but it has no blood.

The image from the 1313 apocalypse is the best structural match for the three parts of the representation of the VMs critter. It repeats the qualities that are seen in the comparison of the VMs cosmos with the cosmic illustration of BNF Fr. 565 fol. 23. It matches the structure point for point, while at the same time appearing to seek a maximum of visual diversity - a technique that seems to be intentional.

The 1313 apocalypse was known to be in the library of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who died in 1467. While he did much to expand the library, it may have present earlier. There were also texts by Nicole Oreseme in the library. And Philip was the founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece which bears certain similarities to the VMs critter. No other proposed identification has a stronger foundation of evidence and other proposals can only claim the appearance of the VMs critter has some possible similarities with some animal found in another illustration, and only tries to match one apparent animal with another.

(07-08-2019, 12:25 AM)R. Sale Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....


The 1313 apocalypse was known to be in the library of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who died in 1467. While he did much to expand the library, it may have present earlier. There were also texts by Nicole Oreseme in the library. And Philip was the founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece which bears certain similarities to the VMs critter. No other proposed identification has a stronger foundation of evidence and other proposals can only claim the appearance of the VMs critter has some possible similarities with some animal found in another illustration, and only tries to match one apparent animal with another.

I agree with you that these things together are worthy of attention.

There is a problem though... this whole iconography of the Lamb in the book of Revelation revolves around the lamb being alive and alert... It is typically depicted standing with one front leg slightly raised (or passant, for those who enjoy heraldry), whether it is holding a banner or a book.
It is never napping or inanimate, and certainly not dead.
Obviously there are napping lambs on books in Christian imagery as we discussed in the other thread (Dragons, Dogs and Armadillos) but not in the Apocalypse cycles.

Suggestion: A dead lamb might align better with the iconography of a different biblical episode: the Passover lamb, often depicted dead, on a table, and sometimes bleeding.
Depictions of the passover meal table also bring to mind an early discussion on this forum, where Don of Tallahassee had compiled cloudband motifs, and there a question about whether the furls in tablecloths and curtains should be included since their edges are sometimes given a somewhat similar shape to the cloudband.

A few quick examples of the Passover Lamb theme in various settings(not the best, just to illustrate what I am referring to):

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I'm not saying the Voynich illustration IS a Passover lamb, nor that the Voynich image IS NOT related to the iconography of the book of Revelations, but simply that inanimate-looking depiction of the animal can't be ignored if we are looking for parallels.

Quote:VViews: There is a problem though... this whole iconography of the Lamb in the book of Revelation revolves around the lamb being alive and alert... It is typically depicted standing with one front leg slightly raised (or passant, for those who enjoy heraldry), whether it is holding a banner or a book.

It is never napping or inanimate, and certainly not dead.

VViews take a look at posts #3 and 4. I posted several Agnus Dei examples in which the lamb is prone or sleeping.

Yes, this is exactly the type of image I was refererring to in my post JKP:
"Obviously there are napping lambs on books in Christian imagery as we discussed in the other thread (Dragons, Dogs and Armadillos) but not in the Apocalypse cycles." (Emphasis added now)
I even posted some examples of them myself over there.....

BUT these are a different type of image than the other ones being presented throughout this thread. To be clearer, they are standalones, not part of a wider composition with vesica etc. The sleeping agnus dei images form a specific trend (which would in itself probably be worth looking at).

However, if you guys are happy to lump them all together and ignore the fact that the lamb is not inanimate/asleep in the other images throughout this thread, then I have no further comment.

When I posted those examples, that's what I was trying to show... that the prone poses were part of a trend, that it might be a localization key (both temporal or geographical). As I wrote below it, "...I was HOPING to figure out when the prone-position Agnus Dei came on the scene, but it hasn't been easy. I am still looking."

In other words, I thought it might be important geographically and/or temporally but it takes time to find enough info to know for sure so I don't want to make to many premature assumptions.


I was also trying to point out that this group of prone/sleeping lambs tended to show up on vestments, as opposed to manuscripts. I thought that might be important too.

More examples, but these are only about 350 years old:

     

By the 1800s, they were also showing up as lockets and statues (maybe sold in pilgrimage sites?).

The information I have so far SEEMS to point to France as the origin for this particular pose BUT it's way too early to know and I don't even usually say anything until I have a lot more data.

Francisco de Zurbarán, "Agnus Dei," 1635-40, Oil on Canvas, 14.5" H x 24" L, Museo del Prado.
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Still looking for earlier versions ....