My efforts to find a definition of aegis are somewhat limited by historical ambiguity.
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The Gorgon's face is on the Aegis, is that correct? And the Gorgon is on the scaly patterned part that sits on the shoulders and upper chest. Then does the red and black pattern selected have anything to do with the aegis? It just happens to be included in the same image?
The origin of the aegis is a bit cloudy. Some say a serpent; some say a goat. If it is suggested that the scaliness of the serpent is reflected in the VMs representation of a pangolin, then the wrong pattern in the Greek image has been highlighted in this discussion. If the chosen pattern that runs down the side of the dress is a representation of goat hair, because it is clearly not scaly, then the VMs animal is a goat, I suppose. Goats and sheep have certain similarities.
It seems to me that there are distinct differences between the nebuly line and the aegis line examples. First the difference in connotation. And second is the difference in structure, where the aegis line correctly fails to make any effort to match bulbs on one side of the line with bulbs on the other side of the line. That structure, that effort is plainly lacking in the aegis image.
Now compare the VMs example with these two types of line. Yes, the top of the VMs line is a bit canted to the side, but the bottom part is better - better than the top part! Not nonexistent like the aegis example, but a better rendition of a nebuly line than the top portion. And that makes the VMs example a nebuly line.
The VMs animal has not been identified as a ram. Several suggestions have been made with various merits. The lines are a second factor in the VMs illustration. Can they be ignored?? The lines are there - what is their interpretation??
1) Nebuly lines are part of heraldry. Heraldry was a concurrent, established, traditional system in many of locations where the VMs may have been composed.
2) Aegis lines come from Greek mythology images into the Hellenistic era. They may have been transmitted through the Byzantine culture and traveled along trade routes to the VMs author. No Byzantine examples are known, however.
Heraldry apparently came late to the Byzantine culture and did not flourish. There does not seem to be an early development phase of geometric designs in historical Byzantine imsignia. The idea of a nebuly line transmitted through Byzantine culture is probably not valid.
Therefore if the VMs examples are interpreted as nebuly lines, then the comparative challenge is to find other examples of illustrations of *any* animal similarly drawn with nebuly lines (or other heraldic lines).
Other examples still appreciated!!!!!!
The *only* posted example of such a combination is the Tubingen ram (Aries). Does that make the VMs animal a ram? Hard to say. But it does make the two illustrations comparable. And the third factor, the blue paint, is also a strong similarity. I'll leave it at that.
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The Gorgon's face is on the Aegis, is that correct? And the Gorgon is on the scaly patterned part that sits on the shoulders and upper chest. Then does the red and black pattern selected have anything to do with the aegis? It just happens to be included in the same image?
The origin of the aegis is a bit cloudy. Some say a serpent; some say a goat. If it is suggested that the scaliness of the serpent is reflected in the VMs representation of a pangolin, then the wrong pattern in the Greek image has been highlighted in this discussion. If the chosen pattern that runs down the side of the dress is a representation of goat hair, because it is clearly not scaly, then the VMs animal is a goat, I suppose. Goats and sheep have certain similarities.
It seems to me that there are distinct differences between the nebuly line and the aegis line examples. First the difference in connotation. And second is the difference in structure, where the aegis line correctly fails to make any effort to match bulbs on one side of the line with bulbs on the other side of the line. That structure, that effort is plainly lacking in the aegis image.
Now compare the VMs example with these two types of line. Yes, the top of the VMs line is a bit canted to the side, but the bottom part is better - better than the top part! Not nonexistent like the aegis example, but a better rendition of a nebuly line than the top portion. And that makes the VMs example a nebuly line.
The VMs animal has not been identified as a ram. Several suggestions have been made with various merits. The lines are a second factor in the VMs illustration. Can they be ignored?? The lines are there - what is their interpretation??
1) Nebuly lines are part of heraldry. Heraldry was a concurrent, established, traditional system in many of locations where the VMs may have been composed.
2) Aegis lines come from Greek mythology images into the Hellenistic era. They may have been transmitted through the Byzantine culture and traveled along trade routes to the VMs author. No Byzantine examples are known, however.
Heraldry apparently came late to the Byzantine culture and did not flourish. There does not seem to be an early development phase of geometric designs in historical Byzantine imsignia. The idea of a nebuly line transmitted through Byzantine culture is probably not valid.
Therefore if the VMs examples are interpreted as nebuly lines, then the comparative challenge is to find other examples of illustrations of *any* animal similarly drawn with nebuly lines (or other heraldic lines).
Other examples still appreciated!!!!!!
The *only* posted example of such a combination is the Tubingen ram (Aries). Does that make the VMs animal a ram? Hard to say. But it does make the two illustrations comparable. And the third factor, the blue paint, is also a strong similarity. I'll leave it at that.