I agree with JKP's observations, and I could add to his critics, but I also think that any attempt to match labels and images should be appreciated. I have first read about the VMS in Stephen Bax' 2014 paper and I still believe that matching the illustrations and the text could greatly contribute to our understanding of the ms.
Of course, the problem of understanding why the same label applies to different objects (a subject also discussed by Anton about otol otol You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) is a difficult one: a mystery, as Anton writes.
Still the majority of discussions identify these figures with, say, the Assyrian princess Semiramis and Siris, goddess of beer, without even caring to note that the figures are labeled. I am certainly not exempt from this attitude. If we are ever going to read the ms, taking notice of the existence of labels seems to me like an important step.
Of course, the problem of understanding why the same label applies to different objects (a subject also discussed by Anton about otol otol You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) is a difficult one: a mystery, as Anton writes.
Still the majority of discussions identify these figures with, say, the Assyrian princess Semiramis and Siris, goddess of beer, without even caring to note that the figures are labeled. I am certainly not exempt from this attitude. If we are ever going to read the ms, taking notice of the existence of labels seems to me like an important step.