07-04-2017, 07:56 PM
Thread split.
What I meant to bring up was the following. I think that there may be more trees and shrubs in the manuscript than one would think at first sight. The problem is that trees are drawn like one would draw a herb, with the leaves emerging straight from the main stem or a central point rather than on branches.
As a starting point, let's have a look at the supposed oak tree. There seems to be at least some consensus that this is a tree. JKP noted that it might be more of a prop, to indicate that the vine grows on this type of tree - while the vine is the focus of the image. I agree that this is likely the case on f35v.
But if this is likely a tree, it wil also give us valuable information: how does the VM draw trees?
Comparing the VM oak to a real one makes it clear that there are large differences. Oaks branch out starting pretty low on a relatively thick stem. The branches split into smaller branches and eventually into twigs, on which the leaves grow.
In the VM, two leaves grow straight on the stem and a number more are bunched up on top. The stem is long, straight and does not branch.
So what's going on? I think the answer is simple: the VM does not draw trees, but rather twigs (possibly in order to be able to show the leaves well). An oak twig has "alternate leaf arrangement, clustered terminal buds". Seems pretty close.
Now if the VM does indeed draw twigs and adds roots to them, which appears to have been the case in the oak, then there are suddenly a whole lot of potential twigs.
Just flicking on through the images I see f25r f42r f45v f52v ... Examples like You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. might actually show blossoms or some kind of other stuff that grows on trees.
What I meant to bring up was the following. I think that there may be more trees and shrubs in the manuscript than one would think at first sight. The problem is that trees are drawn like one would draw a herb, with the leaves emerging straight from the main stem or a central point rather than on branches.
As a starting point, let's have a look at the supposed oak tree. There seems to be at least some consensus that this is a tree. JKP noted that it might be more of a prop, to indicate that the vine grows on this type of tree - while the vine is the focus of the image. I agree that this is likely the case on f35v.
But if this is likely a tree, it wil also give us valuable information: how does the VM draw trees?
Comparing the VM oak to a real one makes it clear that there are large differences. Oaks branch out starting pretty low on a relatively thick stem. The branches split into smaller branches and eventually into twigs, on which the leaves grow.
In the VM, two leaves grow straight on the stem and a number more are bunched up on top. The stem is long, straight and does not branch.
So what's going on? I think the answer is simple: the VM does not draw trees, but rather twigs (possibly in order to be able to show the leaves well). An oak twig has "alternate leaf arrangement, clustered terminal buds". Seems pretty close.
Now if the VM does indeed draw twigs and adds roots to them, which appears to have been the case in the oak, then there are suddenly a whole lot of potential twigs.
Just flicking on through the images I see f25r f42r f45v f52v ... Examples like You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. might actually show blossoms or some kind of other stuff that grows on trees.