The Voynich Ninja

Quite a few years ago someone else posted a picture of this crown (I can't remember who) so I have tried since then to find ones that are closer, but I haven't found any. This seems to be the best match. It's not a perfect match, the crown in the sculpture has a wide base and the VMS does not, but the bumps MIGHT be indicative of this crown.

Others that might qualify:

• There is a tiny drawing of a crown similar to the VMS crown in Morgan M.68. I can't tell if it is triangles or fleur-de-lis, but it might be bumps.
  
• In Morgan M.853 there is a crown with triangles, an arc, and a cross that is almost invisible because it fades into the ornate background.
  
• Trinity O.8.24 has one that is small and roughly drawn, but it might be the same kind of crown.
  
• A painting of Malcolm Canmore and S. Margaret has the VMS style of crown but it's so small it's hard to see if there are bumps on the edges of the triangles.
  
  

I have hundreds of images of crowns but what is specific to this crown is the little staircase pattern on the triangles, a detail also included on the VMS version. I can't post them, there are far too many, but here are some highlights from ones that don't match quite as well but are better than others:

• The Babenburg arms include a similar crown plus a golden fleece.
  
• Note quite as good because the triangles are rounded, and there's no cross, but Durer's drawing of Sigismund is a similar style.
  
• The Bellifortis crown (1414) has fancy knobs on the struts, so it's taller and not quite as similar. It is quite a bit like the crown in Pal. 323 and one in a Council of Constance diagram.
  
• The crown of Constantiople in one manuscript is similar but does not have the cross on top. In another manuscript, it does have a cross but the bumps are not quite as triangular. The same is true for the crown in a painting of Friedrich Schone.
  
• Emperor Frederique (BL 12531) is shown with a cross and arc, but the triangles are arch-shaped.
  
• Many of them have fleur-de-lis rather than triangles, like the Iglesia Catolica 1507 image and BNF Franc. 247, a painting of Rudolph I, and the Hours of Leonor Vega.
  
• In an Albert and Elizabeth drawing, Albert has a similar crown, but it does not have a bumpy edge on the triangles.
  
• Holbein's Henry VIII has fleur de lis rather than trinagles.
  
• The Arlberg arms roll has one that is similar but the triangles don't have bumps, the the crown is squatter (as is true of many Austrian crowns). Hugh Capet is shown with a similar crown, squatter than most of the English, French, and German crowns. Also Jacob Fugger 1551.
  
• Drawings of King Stephen and of Henry II have the triangles, but not the arc and cross.
  
• By the 17th century there were more crowns had triangles with bumps, an arc, and the cross on top (crown wars).
  
• Ottoman crown drawings were similar but with a flower-motif instead of a cross.
  
• Spiezer Chronik has flower bumps instead of triangles.
  
• Some of the Torah crowns are similar but, of course, without the cross (there's a finial shape instead).
  

This image has a variety of crowns from the Austrian empire:

[attachment=3865]

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Edit [addition]: 

I found the source for the Austrian/German crown images. The images are in the Heraldic Atlas, 1899. An English version with some of the images was published in 1904. Here is the legend and under that is a link to the English version:

1. Austrian Empire: Crown of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor

2. German Empire: German State Crown
3. Russian Empire: Great Imperial Crown
4. Kingdom of Hungary: Holy Crown of Saint Stephen
5. German Empire: Crown of the German Empress
6. Kingdom of Bohemia: Crown of St. Wenceslas
7. Kingdom of Prussia: Crown of Wilhelm II
8. German Empire: Crown of the Crown Prince
9. Kingdom of Bavaria: Royal crown of Bavaria
10. United Kingdom: Crown of St. Edward
11. United Kingdom: Crown of Queen Victoria
12. Kingdom of Italy: Royal crown of Italy
13. Archduchy of Austria: Archducal coronet
14. Kingdom of Sweden: Crown of the Swedish Crown Prince
15. Kingdom of Romania: Steel Crown of Romania

Scroll down to page 269 in the English version for the section on crowns. This book has LOTS of pictures:

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[end of edit addition]

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Here is a sculpture of Maximilian (Innsbruck):

[attachment=3867]


This one on Aphrodite is very close to the diadem on another nymph:

[attachment=3866].   [attachment=3868] 

Hi Aga Tentaculus,
The image you show is indeed an very good parallel for the October crown.

However I do wonder about whether these are accurate depictions of the actual crowns they wore. The Innsbruck statues were made in the 1520's, so 30 and 90 years after their respective deaths. Therefore the artists who made them did not attend their coronations. Other portraits show these emperors with rather different crowns.  Orb and cross on top, yes, but the "staircase pattern on the triangles" as JKP calls it, I haven't seen in other portraits of them, or in images of actual crowns.

In saying this I am not denying the ressemblance, which is plain to see.
I would be very interested in understanding the origin of the crowns in the Innsbruck sculptures.

(10-01-2020, 01:27 AM)VViews Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Hi Aga Tentaculus,
The image you show is indeed an very good parallel for the October crown.

However I do wonder about whether these are accurate depictions of the actual crowns they wore. The Innsbruck statues were made in the 1520's, so 30 and 90 years after their respective deaths. Therefore the artists who made them did not attend their coronations. Other portraits show these emperors with rather different crowns.  Orb and cross on top, yes, but the "staircase pattern on the triangles" as JKP calls it, I haven't seen in other portraits of them, or in images of actual crowns.

In saying this I am not denying the ressemblance, which is plain to see.
I would be very interested in understanding the origin of the crowns in the Innsbruck sculptures.

You're completely right about this. I discovered while searching for crowns that many of the drawings and sculptures are iconic (not like the real crowns preserved in museums) and others were drawn or painted decades or centuries later and were often fancier than real crowns of the time.

The famous sculpture of Frederich III (1415-1493), emperor, was created in a century later, so there's no guarantee the crown is accurate but it is similar to this 15th-century painting (the sculptor might have used the painting as the model for the crown):



[font=sans-serif]Source: Hans Burgkmair the Elder - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank.[/font]

[font=sans-serif]Albert 1, Emperor of Germany, Duke of Austria (13th–14th century), but it's an engraving, so it was probably created a couple of centuries later (or more):[/font]

[font=sans-serif][/font]

Coins are probably closer to reality than sculptures and paintings created a long time after. Here are some examples of Sigismund III (17th century, Google Images link):

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I found some info on Wikipedia about the crowns in post #5:



Image courtesy of Erich Schmid, Wikipedia

The sculptures are in the Court Church in Insbruch, Austria, and are by various sculptors. The sculpture of Albert II (died 1439) on the far left was created in 1528/29. The crowns on the next two figures are similar, triangular with bumps, an arch top with a cross. The one to the right of Albert II is Frederick III (died 1493) sculpted 1527, and after that I think is Leopold III (died 1136), sculpted 1520.

Leopold III (Margrave of Austria) probably didn't have a crown that fancy in the 12th century. I think the earliest painting of him is 15th century? I don't know if there are coins that show his crown.

Search at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
For example gravestone of Friedrich III or statues. There you will also find the 2nd crown.
I don't know if there is a connection.
Interestingly enough, if you take a closer look you will find the Visconti family coat of arms on the gravestone.

@JKP
Yes that is correct, but what not many people know is that many parts were stored until the renovation.
The original bell was remounted in April.
Seen in a documentary on ORF about the cathedral.

This is a very interesting lead that should be investigated further. These crowns resemble all three VM Zodiac crowns well. But 15th century images are required. I will search also when I have more time later today.

By the way, Leopold III with a crown like the nymph around Leo. Coincidence?