roots of plant f94v

[MarcoP]

I just noticed the roots of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

• Each of the four bulbs has a circular indentation on the right side (rotated as the top side in the rightmost bulb).
  
• The dark paint on the rightmost bulb has been scratched. This seems to me something that could be done to correct or point out an error.
  

Have you seen anything similar to these two features in the Voynch manuscript or in other herbals?

[Sam G]

There's something similar to that symbol on f87r, beneath the text and to the left of the plant, drawn in what appears to be the same brown ink used to fill in the root.  I've wondered if there might be some connection between the two.

[Koen G]

Kind of makes it look like a painter's palette doesn't it. I'm not sure if that interpretation would be anachronistic. Otherwise it could be a rather straightforward indication for the plant's possible uses.

[Davidsch]

@MarcoP
The scratch reminds me of the scratches used as signature in f.e. medieval wedding documents
like 

[-JKP-]

@MarcoP
The scratch reminds me of the scratches used as signature in f.e. medieval wedding documents
like 

At a time when many people couldn't read or write, it made a lot of sense to have a personal symbol for signing "X"  on official documents.

[EllieV]

I just noticed the roots of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

• Each of the four bulbs has a circular indentation on the right side (rotated as the top side in the rightmost bulb).
  
• The dark paint on the rightmost bulb has been scratched. This seems to me something that could be done to correct or point out an error.
  

Have you seen anything similar to these two features in the Voynch manuscript or in other herbals?

At some point I thought the roots may represent weaving tool - something like tatting shuttle, or loom, or something similar - and the lines could be the threads of the weave, but I was never able to find a weaving tool with the exact shape, so I gave up on the idea.    

---

Kind of makes it look like a painter's palette doesn't it. I'm not sure if that interpretation would be anachronistic. Otherwise it could be a rather straightforward indication for the plant's possible uses.

The plant on fol 49v maybe closer to artist palettes (both leaves and root)
   

[ReneZ]

Beside the scratches on f87r, there are some more that have barely received attention, on f43r,
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

[Koen G]

I noticed something similar on an image of Libra JKP posted in a recent blog. What is it this guy is holding in his other hand?

[david]

Looks like the scale of justice on one hand and a flail to root out heresy in the other.

[-JKP-]

Looks like the scale of justice on one hand and a flail to root out heresy in the other.

It's hard to tell from such a small picture, so here's a larger version of the detail:



The document was created in a German/Swiss monastery (the borders were somewhat changeable around this time and the distinction between German and Swiss in this region was less than it is now) with a large, active scriptorium, c. 900 (Reg. Lat. 438).