The Voynich Ninja

Concordantiae caritatis
HS 151
Stiftsarchiv und Stiftsbibliothek Lilienfeld, Austria
mid 14th century
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

As Koen posted You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., this manuscript was highlighted by Volkhard Huth for containing two animals somewhat resembling the VM Scorpio. There's also crocodiles in a similar style.
[attachment=14711]
[attachment=14709]
[attachment=14710]

But this manuscript also has far more interesting imagery.:

The overall composition of small roundels surrounding a large central one
Moon faces closely resembling the VM Cosmo section
[attachment=14705]
[attachment=14706]
[attachment=14707]
[attachment=14708]

Lots of figures pointing, including such with a beret like in VM You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Moses is frequently portrayed with the same red cap
[attachment=14712]
[attachment=14714]
[attachment=14713]
[attachment=14715]

Some are shown from behind which might have been the inspiration for VM You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
[attachment=14716]
[attachment=14717]
[attachment=14718]

Headdress closely resembling the VM Sagittarius crossbowman's
[attachment=14720]
[attachment=14719]

A leopard which is a good match for the VM Leo
[attachment=14722]
[attachment=14721]

Birds that resemble the ones found in VM f86v3. Note that birds nest and rest on trapeziod rocks like in the VM.
[attachment=14723]
[attachment=14724]
[attachment=14726]
[attachment=14725]
[attachment=14730]
[attachment=14727]
[attachment=14728]
[attachment=14731]
[attachment=14732]
[attachment=14733]

Frogs resembling the VM frog
[attachment=14734]
[attachment=14735]
[attachment=14736]
[attachment=14737]

Panther (?) resembling the strange creature at the pond of VM You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
[attachment=14745]
[attachment=14746]

Animal eating from a tree resembling VM Aries
[attachment=14740]

Jonah resembling the nymph on  VM You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
[attachment=14741]
[attachment=14742]

3-legged candlesticks resembling the base of some VM Pharma containers
[attachment=14743]
[attachment=14744]

Maybe it's all a coincidence but I do think such imagery also was part of the VM artist's sources.

I'm sorry but these do not convince me. The art style is that of the classic Diebold Lauber workshop, of which many tens, if not hundreds, of examples already exist.

This MS is certainly part of the network of imagery the VM also drew from, but there is some distance stylistically. It is interesting that it adds bestiary images to more widely known Typological schemes. For example, the "Jonah" is a monkfish as it appears in the old bestiaries.

Jonah resembles not only 83r but also 79v

[attachment=14747]

I could never understand that picture. Quire 13 is generally quite peaceful - a lot of happy women are bathing. And suddenly one of them is devoured by a fish.

OK, did you notice what's next to the crocodile in the other picture?

The crocodiles are funny because it appears like someone in the line of transmission interpreted the scales as sheep's fur. A tale as old as time.

I disagree that Jonah would be depicted as a female. I see this [Post #6] as a representation of mythical Melusine of Luxembourg. That would be the "mermaid"-like version as opposed to the dragon-like version from Lusignan.

The closest historical illustration is the generic mermaid and four fish in Harley 334. The VMs artist borrows the same "Mermaid plus four companions" but changes the appearances. Mermaids don't have thighs.

Melusine of Luxembourg was considered to ancestral to the Valois lines of the 14th and 15th Century. There are various historical connections.

(17-03-2026, 09:07 PM)JustAnotherTheory Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I'm sorry but these do not convince me. The art style is that of the classic Diebold Lauber workshop, of which many tens, if not hundreds, of examples already exist.

Are you sure?
This manuscript is the original version of the Concordantiae caritatis and was created around 1355, by and under the supervision of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

From the German Wikipedia page:
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Quote:Die kolorierten Federzeichnungen zum typologischen Hauptteil der Handschrift stammen zum überwiegenden Teil von einem einzigen Illustrator, dem Hauptmeister, der Ulrichs Vorgaben getreu umsetzt. Seine Figurengruppen weisen oft wenig Dynamik auf, auch haben fast alle seiner Figuren denselben unbeweglichen Gesichtsausdruck, der einem starren Lächeln gleicht.

Nur drei Bildseiten wurden vom sogenannten fortschrittlichen Meister ausgestaltet (fol. 80v: Gefangennahme Christi; fol. 81v: Petrus und Malchus; fol. 96v: der gekreuzigte Christus und die beiden Schächer), diese sind jedoch von wesentlich höherer Qualität als die des Hauptmeisters. Allerdings ist dem fortschrittlichen Meister ein schwerer Fehler unterlaufen: eines der Naturbeispiele zur Kreuzigung ist ein „Eselskentaur“, onocentaurus, nach den Angaben Ulrichs ein Menschenleib mit Eselskopf, den er irrtümlich als Eselskörper mit Menschenkopf darstellte.[3] Der Schreiber versuchte, den Irrtum zu korrigieren, indem er den Menschenkopf mit caput asini (Eselskopf) und den Körper mit corpus hominis (Menschenkörper), beschriftete.

Zwei weitere Meister haben den Anhang zu Tugenden und Lastern illustriert. Meister 3 wird von Martin Roland als Ulrich selbst identifiziert, der auch einige Figuren zu den Illustrationen des Hauptteils beisteuerte (fol. 9v, 92v, 139v).

This makes it clear the illustrations pre-date Lauber's workshop, which only started to operate around 1415, by 60 years. The illustrators of HS 151 are believed to have come from the Lilienfeld abbey as well Ulrich might even have done some of them himself.

If anything, this is the substrate on which Lauber built upon.