[Talk] Alain Touwaide - Villa Mondragone - 14 Oct. 2019

[-JKP-]

Did Touwaide actually use the terminology of capsule or was this just a translation choice?

He compared it directly to a poppy in terms of shape (he did this at least twice), so even if there is confusion in translation of the word "capsule" (which can easily happen, a problem I appreciate and make allowances for), I don't think there's anything ambiguous about the word poppy.

He is comparing two structures with different functions and completely overlooking the fact that his VMS "poppy capsule" is a pretty good drawing of a scaly or scabrous calyx of a plant that has not yet gone to seed, a shape and texture that is particularly indicative of certain families of plants (in other words, something that partiicularly jumps out to botanists as an important key to identification).

This is not just a matter of adjusting terminology for a lay audience (I do that all the time, I'm sure many of us do) , this is a misunderstanding of the drawing itself.


I'll say it again, whether he is speaking to a lay audience or not, this is a poor analogy in both botanical terms and pedagogical terms and it also calls into question (when combined with his other comments about plants, which are also off-base) that he may be mis-reading the plant iconography.


2. Comparison of Manuscripts

ALSO, the herbal Touwaide chose as similar to the VMS (LJS 62) is NOT particularly similar to the VMS. It's quite different from the VMS (there are only a few folios of plant drawings at the beginning) and more similar to early modern drawings in terms of its leaning toward naturalism. There are no strange roots as in the VMS (there is one root with snakes next to it, but this was very common in herbal manuscripts). There are no highly stylized leaves (as in the VMS leaves that look like fish or birds). It is mostly naturalistic. He chose a set of drawings that is NOT very similar to the VMS (and one that was created anywhere from 70 to 100 years later than the VMS).

It is a strange choice for an example.



René, this isn't about one thing...

I could forgive one thing or two things or even three things that were a little off-base, but ALL his comments about plants in the Mandragora presentation are the kind that make you scratch your head, and react, "What???". EVERYTHING he said about plants gives me the impression of someone who hasn't spent a lot of time looking at the VMS plant drawings and doesn't even know which diagrams to choose to make any particular point about the drawings, and I even get the feeling he hasn't looked at them enough to recognize HOW the VMS illustrator draws each specific part of a plant.