I honestly wouldn't know how to tell the grade of parchment from just a picture, unless there are obvious flaws like holes or irregular edges. (Also keeping in mind that a deteriorated condition of parchment could be the result of later damage or excessive use).
Regarding the funding question, I just don't think it's possible for us to draw any major conclusions about the VM's maker's socio-economic status based on the quality of parchment they decided to use. Since when do people always buy the most expensive item they can afford? When my electric drill breaks down, I could afford an expensive one, but why would I spend that kind of money when a cheap one does exactly what I need?
I don't think we should assume that this quality of parchment was the best they could afford, or the best they had available to them. Maybe this was simply good enough - it's the kind of thing you can get away with when you're not making the product for a rich patron.
This leaves three options, which I think are equally likely:
* They were unable to obtain better parchment (isolated community).
* They were unable to afford better parchment (limited financial means).
* They did not find it necessary to use better parchment (why spend extra money when cheaper will do just fine?)
Or it was done on purpose for stylistic means, to create a manuscript with a certain look. This goes into hoax territory, but I would not rule it out.
Again, I think it's important to look at this in a broader context. The quality of ink and paint, the quality of the writing and drawings itself and the quality of parchment create a coherent picture. What stands out is the unusual content.
And yes, there certainly is a bias due to the oddness of the VM. A badly illustrated medieval manuscript on cheap vellum and about a mundane topic would likely not have made it into the 20th century.
The Voynich manuscript closely resembles African Coptic codices in terms of wear. This irregular, uneven page shape is typical of frequently used codices, which were consulted, transported, and leafed through frequently. One of the characteristics of illuminated parchment codices is that they generally follow the "C.R. Gregory rule," which provides a homogeneous stylistic effect (flesh side to flesh side and pile side to pile side) thus achieving aesthetically superior graphics, keeping in mind that the pile side is the best for writing.
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(19-04-2026, 11:52 PM)LisaFaginDavis Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Also, the McCrone report identifies the ink as Oak Gall, so nothing unusual there. On p. 3 of the report, "All of the inks used for text and drawing were identified as iron gall inks."
Indeed they said so. But that is wrong. More on You are not allowed to view links.
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All the best, --stolfi
[Edited because of legal risk concerns]
(20-04-2026, 05:07 PM)Rafal Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.We tend to believe that parchment/vellum was very expensive. Ask any AI and it will tell you so. And it just repeats what people have written.
For example Gemini told me a moment ago:
A mid-sized devotional book could cost as much as a small house or several years of a laborer's income.
I agree, we miss good articles that would prove the existence of cheap manuscripts. But I feel they existed and Voynich is one of them.
Well put.
A sheet of vellum with otherwise good quality could have localized defects, such as holes and scars on the hide that were detected too late,or accidental damage created during the scraping and stretching. Naturally the maker would separate the good part from the damaged part, and either throw the latter away or sell it at discount price.
The free vertical edge of folio You are not allowed to view links.
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Another similar indentation, but bigger, is visible on folio f112, at the top of the vertical free edge.
Another one is visible at the bottom of the free vertical edge of the distal flap of folio f112. That edge in fact seems to be a "primitive" edge, where the sheet was cut away from the frame by the maker.
So, I would guess that many VMS bifolios were taken from defective parts of vellum sheets that were otherwise fair, made by professionals.
Here is a nice documentary on parchment making by the Université de Namur:
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All the best, --stolfi
A question to parchment experts that may require handling the VM in person:
Is it possible to grade the parchment sheet quality and compare quire / topics? If we assume Herbal A was created first and the Balneological section last, is there a difference in parchment quality or treatment between the two? This could help answer the question if the VM was created from a single stack of parchment acquired together or if new sheets were acquired later. While the former cannot be ruled out by this, a significant difference in parchment quality between sections may indicate that the VM was likely created over a longer time period and in several batches. Or even in different places.
All of the parchment is of similar quality. There is no difference in quality from one section to another. And - to respond to an earlier comment - the parchment is so worn that it is nearly impossible to distinguish hair side from flesh side, so we can't ascertain whether it follows Gregory's Rule or not. I'm fairly certain it doesn't, especially since if the manuscript was indeed intended to be a loose pile of un-nested bifolia (i.e. singulions), the distinction between hair and flesh sides from one bifolium to the next would be irrelevant. There is no evidence to suggest the manuscript was produced over a long period of time.
This is interesting, because it means that whoever created the manuscript didn't care about the best graphic design or even the quality (regardless of their drawing talent). They wrote on both sides equally, like a travel notebook or a transcription of notes compiled during moments of rest or at the end of the information-gathering process. It's not a manuscript created for show, but for practicality. Forgeries usually need to be spectacular and highly decorated to attract attention.
(22-04-2026, 01:53 PM)LisaFaginDavis Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.All of the parchment is of similar quality. There is no difference in quality from one section to another. And - to respond to an earlier comment - the parchment is so worn that it is nearly impossible to distinguish hair side from flesh side, so we can't ascertain whether it follows Gregory's Rule or not. I'm fairly certain it doesn't, especially since if the manuscript was indeed intended to be a loose pile of un-nested bifolia (i.e. singulions), the distinction between hair and flesh sides from one bifolium to the next would be irrelevant. There is no evidence to suggest the manuscript was produced over a long period of time.
It feels to me like the quality of the parchment and the singulion hypothesis may be related. That there is some goal, distinctly
other than making a fine codex, which explains:
1) why bifolia were designed as units
2) why parchment (durable?) was preferred over paper sheets
3) why the parchment (and everything else) did not need to be of the finest quality
I imagine that loose, folded papers might quickly deteriorate when they are taken out repeatedly. Folded parchment sheets would be much more resistant to repeated handling.
I agree with you 100%, Koen.