Good question. I was also wondering why there are no two people. I don't know.
If I look at it symbolically, it doesn't have to be.
If I assume that the VM is a medical book, then I also look for an explanation.
This seems to me to be a logical explanation.
I know what this is about. Already seen it in xx movies. Mostly they tie prisoners to it.
The question, what is it doing in a medical book?
You give me a reasonable explanation. To be hung by the feet does not testify of a medical treatment.
To me it looks like the log is broader in the middle and has 4 pegs that are inserted into the log.
If the broader part were scalloped then the body could press against it thus avoiding the natural action of a log to roll in water.
It seems then to be a bouyancy aide which could have several purposes like
physiotherapy for strengthening weak legs, comfort/security for people who cannot swim or even just for playfulness like a modern day rubber ring.
And yes, curious that it is a male figure.
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As a reminder of what can be seen from the VM image. It would never work as a buoyancy aid. Also no bank protection is made in this way.
Well, he looks as if he were having fun.
Trouble is, he could be anything.
Could be medical, as discussed above.
Could be a medical homunculus - he could be a kidney stone (stopping water, geddit?) or similar.
He could be an allegory, noble in the stream or something.
He could be having a bath. He could be crossing the river. He could be building a dam. He could be floating logs.
Who knows?
He's certainly significant. His maleness means he is different from the others. It's an unusual pose.
The log is certainly anchored in place by two posts. So there is a current in the water. And the man appears to idly holding on to the post.
That's about all we know, unless we find something linked in art.
(07-05-2020, 03:05 PM)RobGea Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
To me it looks like the log is broader in the middle and has 4 pegs that are inserted into the log.
...
That's interesting. That's not how I interpreted the drawing.
To me it looks like there are 2 long vertical stakes behind the "log" and the log is braced against them. They don't look to me like they are going through the log, but rather are behind them.
That's why I wondered if maybe the water current was pushing the log against the stakes rather than them being attached with spikes or something else (although they might be attached to each other on the side we can't see).
There were many river-crossing mechanisms like this in the Middle Ages. The logs and stakes weren't permanently connected to each other. Those using them for crossing used the water's current, or ropes that could be quickly untied and re-tied, to set up the next section, so they could take it with them for the next section of the river or the next river. They were used for general travel or for siege attacks.
But... it might also be stationary. Something that was put there for a specific use, rather than something temporary.
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This is what they look like in reality. There are different shapes, but they're pretty accurate. Some are tied directly to the horns.
You have to see for yourself.
My first impression of this thing was like a ship's mast, with rungs for climbing. Maybe because that is something I imagined someone holding on to in a body of water.
I agree that they might also be interpreted as standing behind the log, in which case the log would be stationary. The reason why I interpreted them as part of the log was probably that they don't go nearly as deep as the guy's feet, and the part above the log is made even longer than the part below. If the thought were "anchored in the ground", then maybe the part below would be extended longer.
The log itself is pretty rudimentary, it's basically a long cylinder with a streak of paint. Indeed the thickness varies, but I'm not sure whether this is intentional. The artist has difficulties drawing shapes that pass behind other shapes. And the pose seems to have given him severe difficulties. One arm is much longer than the other.
It's also difficult that this is with the "pooling" green paint which has the tendency to be darker at the edges, creating the illusion of lines. It is not always clear when we are looking at a pen line or a paint edge. These are the pen lines I think I see with some certainty:
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Edit: by the way, when drawing this I noticed the line of the body passes through the line of the front arm. This could mean that the arm was drawn after the body and not planned very well.
What else should be considered, it is a normal commodity, everyone who has 2 oxen in the stable has such an instrument.
At that time, rather than horses, because they were expensive.
Others also used dogs and goats as draft animals.
If the stakes are short (if they are not intended to go to the bottom) then the only thing holding the "log" in that position is the man's arm. Otherwise the "stakes" would flip the log around via gravity and be sitting horizontally rather than vertically (assuming this is a physical structure).
If it were a pipe, rather than a log, it would sink lower in the water. Assuming the "pipe" ends where we see the cutoff point.
Actually, even if it were a log, it wouldn't be above the water like that unless the stakes were holding it up, so it doesn't match physics very well.
Is the man sitting (like on the steps of a spa)? If so, the "stakes" don't have to go down as far.
True, JKP, but I can't think of any branch of natural science this image isn't in severe violation of
Well, it could be that more is going on under the paint, but it's really hard to see in this one.
Aga: ah, you mean a yoke. I see how you get there, but I don't think they tried to depict a double ox yoke. Medieval ox yokes are either individual rings around each animal's neck, or one log with two loops attached. The loops usually come out on top as two sticks on each side, so four in total. Here there are just two straight sticks in the middle.