Gemini crossed arms imagery

[Koen G]

Thanks for the overview, Marco; it's clearer than what I remembered myself

Given the current evidence, I can only see the VM in terms of transmission of material, not in terms of "creation" in one place. However, recent findings have shifted my focus for the latest stage and manufacture more towards Southern Germany. Similar influences from Balneis imagery remain as well, so for now it may be more convenient to include Northern Italy in that region as well. 

To put it extremely simplified, I see the transmission somewhat like this, with yellow being early, orange in between and red VM-era.

   

This is a more complex story than the views I used to hold, but the VM is a complex document and its imagery cannot all have emerged from the very same background.

But that's an aside in this thread. To get back to our couple, I noticed a few things, and there are still many questions.

There's the Gemini version and the Courtly love version. Is this a continuum and does the VM pair fall somewhere in between? It looks like the VM figures (as well is Virgo and the crossbowman) are taken from the courtly tradition. Many very popular manuscripts about the behaviour of nobles existed, and they all drew their images from the same traditional pool. With enough research, I think we have a good shot of getting even closer to the source (or source type).

If these figures were introduced in the early 15th century when the manuscript was made (which is likely given the examples you summarized), this means that one such manuscript as well as perhaps a Balneis MS was available or known to the illustrator. This might imply a library with some capital.