Red pigment was more expensive than brown, and true red (like the rouge in the nymphs' cheeks) was almost a luxury in some areas. True red was a little more available in the southern Mediterranean (closer to the source), but many manuscripts used it sparingly.
Why use red if brown was more accurate to ginger? Especially so much of it. Ginger roots are yellowish brown.
Assuming the same person drew most or all of the plants (they do seem pretty consistent in terms of line quality), if the VMS illustrator could draw a lifelike Viola, why would he/she draw ginger that is wrong in every way (shape, connections, and color) and use a more expensive pigment to distort the root color from what is natural?
Why use red if brown was more accurate to ginger? Especially so much of it. Ginger roots are yellowish brown.
Assuming the same person drew most or all of the plants (they do seem pretty consistent in terms of line quality), if the VMS illustrator could draw a lifelike Viola, why would he/she draw ginger that is wrong in every way (shape, connections, and color) and use a more expensive pigment to distort the root color from what is natural?