In another thread Aga Tentakulus mentioned the "Habsburg" crown in f72v, the folio of Libra/October.
Habsburg or not, an idea came to me that the crown may designate that this is the tax collection month.
What do you think? What was the usual time in middle ages to collect taxes for the crown?
But there are crowns in three months. And why represent the actual monarchy by a naked female figure wearing just a crown? Why mark the crown so visibly while the other figures in this circle are relatively plain? She really stands out. Probably tax month (if such a thing existed) was very important, but then why did it have to be marked in this strange way? Supposedly anyone running a business knew when taxes were collected.
Now it is true that the three crowns are different and they need an explanation. Since each of them appear in similar contexts (one crowned nymph in a circle without many further attributes) their purpose might be similar as well.
Suppose it's not marked, but carelessly hinted for fun. Some kidding by him who disliked the Crown and their taxes.
Yes, there are three, but this one stands out of the three. By it's position it's immediately visible, not "lost" in the abundance of figures (days of the calendar?). And it looks like an imperial one, does not it? (I'm no specialist in that).
In the early 15th century, a crown with a cross was the symbol of the Holy Roman Emperor or the Holy Roman Empire.
There were basically "crown wars" throughout history. If you look at the progression, it was always about getting bigger and fancier and richer (e.g., gold, gems)—having something better than the previous guy.
But in manuscripts and sculptures, there were certain crowns that were recognized as being certain people (like the three-tiered hat for the pope and the round cross-topped crown for the emperor).
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Funny coincidence.
If you look closely, not only the crown is right, but also the hair and the nose.
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Apart from the fact that the author probably witnessed both coronations.
Are there enough other reasons why the crown appears in VM.
Even though I don't think the VM was written in Hebrew. It is clear that Albrecht ordered the expulsion of the Jews in Vienna. But this was revoked 2 years later by Friedrich. Perhaps Arbrecht had too many debts to the Jews. That was mostly the reason why they wanted to get rid of them.
One thing is certain, there were enough reasons for the crown to find its place in the VM.
Though Albert II of Germany was a Habsburg king, he never was a Holy Roman Emperor (while Frederik III did). Frederik III was the first emperor from the house of Habsburg, while the two other Zodiac crowns look more like the crown of the preceding emperor Sigismund, of the house of Luxemburg:
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I wonder is that the Hungarian crown specifically?
Is not Albert II, it is Albrecht II,
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Interesting:
in the english Wiki Albert
in german wiki Albrecht
I guess the author did not have to be present at coronations, but he had the opportunity to derive his knowledge of crowns from coins, stamps and coats-of-arms.
Not only is the chronology contemporary with Philip the Good of Burgundy, there were political contacts and conflicts with Luxembourg and with Frederick III.
There was a crusade in the works, but it fell apart when Pope Pius II died in 1464.