I find it interesting that the artist didn't try to perfectly duplicate the Voynich script.
If this were intended for Kircher (to see if he could decipher it), one would think a more exact copy of the text would be important. The plant drawing is also in a completely different drawing style from the original
So, it leaves me wondering... was it just to give the recipient a general idea of how the VMS looked? Was the artist not aware of the importance of copying it as exactly as possible? Did the artist have a limited time in which to see the page? Was the artist not skilled enough to make an exact replica?
The fact that there's a seal on it is certainly a valuable clue. The closer to present times we get, the less likely there is to be a seal.
There are people who study these seals in depth. Now that you've posted an image of it, perhaps there's someone out there who might recognize it from the trace of a pattern that is left. Seal experts can sometimes do that if they have similar ones in their collections. Even if they can't identify a specific seal, sometimes they can figure out where a certain kind of design (or wax) was used.
And how did it end up in the antiquarian market? What was the origin of the other documents it was with? If it was in Kircher's hands, did parts of his estate get dispersed far and wide?
If this were intended for Kircher (to see if he could decipher it), one would think a more exact copy of the text would be important. The plant drawing is also in a completely different drawing style from the original
So, it leaves me wondering... was it just to give the recipient a general idea of how the VMS looked? Was the artist not aware of the importance of copying it as exactly as possible? Did the artist have a limited time in which to see the page? Was the artist not skilled enough to make an exact replica?
The fact that there's a seal on it is certainly a valuable clue. The closer to present times we get, the less likely there is to be a seal.
There are people who study these seals in depth. Now that you've posted an image of it, perhaps there's someone out there who might recognize it from the trace of a pattern that is left. Seal experts can sometimes do that if they have similar ones in their collections. Even if they can't identify a specific seal, sometimes they can figure out where a certain kind of design (or wax) was used.
And how did it end up in the antiquarian market? What was the origin of the other documents it was with? If it was in Kircher's hands, did parts of his estate get dispersed far and wide?