The Voynich Ninja

Note that similarly the over-use of blue can be explained, because they needed blue for so many scenes. Sky/heaven, water, Mary's cloak...

About the "why", I'm wondering if it could be because they didn't want to draw holy figures. Or their environment forbade it somehow. 
No matter how you put it, it's extremely uncommon for a medieval European work to contain over 300 human figures, of which not a single Jesus, angel, saint or clergyman. 

Might this be because of a form of aniconism?

Protestantism is too late, of course. The Byzantine iconoclasms too early. But there are other options, like the Nestorians under Muslim rule.

(12-09-2019, 09:15 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.... it's extremely uncommon for a medieval European work to contain over 300 human figures, of which not a single Jesus, angel, saint or clergyman.

Are you sure?
Do you have a source for this?

(12-09-2019, 09:49 PM)ReneZ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Do you have a source for this?

Just speaking from personal experience.

This is not the kind of statement that can be proven of course, I can't show you something that doesn't exist. If you think such manuscripts are not "extremely uncommon" it should be easy for you to produce a few counterexamples. 

But I know, for example, that Jesus does appear in Balneis MSS. That Angels appear in what we'd call scientific works, and so forth.

I was about to propose the Livre de Chasse as an obvious counterexample, but... You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Upon consideration, most exceptions or near-exceptions will probably be things like manuals, like treatises on hunting or war or trades. Images that show men using the tools of their trade. A far cry from the VM.

(13-09-2019, 12:38 AM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Upon consideration, most exceptions or near-exceptions will probably be things like manuals, like treatises on hunting or war or trades.

I agree: manuals of that kind will likely contain little Christian imagery. I would also add medical manuals, like the Greek You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (mentioned by VViews You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.), the English Ashmole 399 (discussed You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.), the Italian You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. you mentioned You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..


Most of the people in Voynich illustrations appear in the Zodiac pages. My impression is that cycles illustrating the individual degrees of the Zodiac do not show much Christian content: I am thinking of Alfonso's Astromagia You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (the zodiac wheels in particular), You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and (even if this is not as fine-grained as individual-degrees works) You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

One can ask himself: why these manuscripts have fewer religious illustrations than others? Answers will vary according to the cases, but they can all be informative.
About the VMS, one could also ask: why so many women in the VMS, and why are they naked?
In general, I believe it is easier to answer the question about the lack of Christian imagery if one also considers what appears instead of Christian imagery: a good answer will likely explain both things (what is there and what isn't there).

For instance (undocumented speculation): 

• Fendulus is full of half-human, half-animal monsters. This could point to a cultural background where supernatural entities are strongly related to the animal world: something more ancient than the Christian religion.
  
• Images in Tacuinum Sanitatis seem to illustrate the elegance and splendour of the Milanese court: in this case, the scarcity of religious images is possibly functional to the exaltation of political and economical power.
  

(13-09-2019, 01:28 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.One can ask himself: why these manuscripts have fewer religious illustrations than others? Answers will vary according to the cases, but they can all be informative.

Well, surely because Christian dogma discouraged astrology? Under Christian theology, any attempt to include religious iconography into astrological works would have been viewed as heretical - you would have been suggesting that you were trying to manipulate God and His messengers into disclosing secret information that you should not be privy to.

(14-09-2019, 09:52 PM)davidjackson Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(13-09-2019, 01:28 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.One can ask himself: why these manuscripts have fewer religious illustrations than others? Answers will vary according to the cases, but they can all be informative.

Well, surely because Christian dogma discouraged astrology? Under Christian theology, any attempt to include religious iconography into astrological works would have been viewed as heretical - you would have been suggesting that you were trying to manipulate God and His messengers into disclosing secret information that you should not be privy to.

I agree: the relationship between Catholicism and Astrology was a difficult one. In the end, both managed to thrive side by side, with astrological art often finding its way into religious monumental art (e.g. Romanesque zodiac portals, the floor in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.).

When Christian imagery finds its way into astrological works (e.g. the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. in the first pages of Tubingen Hausbuch ms Md 2) one can wonder if this was an (unconscious?) attempt to show that the book was not heretical.

Of the three astrological works I mentioned above:

1. Astrolabium Planum appears to derive from the works of the Persian Abumasar (Abu Maʿshar). The Latin text is thought to be the work of Pietro d'Abano, who was indeed put to trial (and finally condemned) by the Inquisition for his astrological works.

2. Fendulus' work also derives from Abu Ma'shar. The name of the author could be a pseudonym and the work could have been commissioned by Emperor Fredrick II. Fredrick was excommunicated by the Pope (for political reasons) and Dante later assigned him to the heretics in Inferno.

3. Alfonso's Astromagia BAV Reg.Lat.1283.a is likely to be a translation of Arabic sources, possibly by the Jewish scholars employed by the king.


In general, one can see that there is a pattern of conflict with the Roman Church. Some of the works were commissioned by powerful rulers who could allow themselves to openly defy Papacy. All the works appear to heavily depend on Islamic sources.

While the VMS does not look like a kingly manuscript, a non-Christian (and non-European) origin of the contents remains a possibility that is well worth considering.

I always thought this "flower" had eight petals, four with a white section in the middle and four blue ones diagonally. But I just noticed this might not be the case; the feathers at the tips overlap.

[attachment=3327]

The top-central petal (and its little "foot") have been painted more lightly.

Also, the top-left to bottom-right diagonal petals have more green in them, especially toward the middle.


Even the sloppy parts have elements to them that seem so deliberate.