03-05-2016, 08:29 PM
Thanks Marco, that makes for an interesting comparison. I attach below a comparison between the VM scenes and those you show here. Some observations:
- VM sticks more to Ovid's words, picturing even a scene of "consternation" with the character running around. Notice, for example, how the fabric is color-on-white in the VM, while in the medieval manuscript it's red on one side, purple on the other. It includes some extra scenes and shows the characters fleeing before they turn into birds. It even has one of the women moving towards a roof, just like Ovid says. This is an immense contrast with the "three half-birds in a row" from the other MS.
- The VM observes some unusual habits or taboos, which at times make them select different scenes or depict things more symbolically. Especially striking is that it avoids the depiction of extreme violence and things that relate to it: knives, swords, dismemberment... Notice how even the prince's decapitated head, the most dramatic moment in the story, the resolve if you will (it concludes Philomela's revenge on the king) - the VM represents this head by a strange, symbolical form. You can see the hair on the sides, bloodstained, you can see the pale skin, the neck... but it isn't overtly depicted as a head!
- VM insists on nudity in most cases, often complicating things because sometimes a character's dress is important. It uses attributes like the spindle instead.
- VM has an extreme focus on female characters and sometimes even gives men boobs! I think this might be because someone has been adding boobs afterwards, you can see evidence of this in some characters.
- VM uses unusual patterning and symbolism at times, for example in the final picture it shows one of the women diving downwards towards a wind-wing like thing, suggesting the imminent transformation.
What do you think?
By the way, I'm onto some other scenes as well, but all the points I mentioned above make it very hard to analyze. I don't know if it would be the best to put this on the forum already or kind of stay in my own corner until it's more certain?
- VM sticks more to Ovid's words, picturing even a scene of "consternation" with the character running around. Notice, for example, how the fabric is color-on-white in the VM, while in the medieval manuscript it's red on one side, purple on the other. It includes some extra scenes and shows the characters fleeing before they turn into birds. It even has one of the women moving towards a roof, just like Ovid says. This is an immense contrast with the "three half-birds in a row" from the other MS.
- The VM observes some unusual habits or taboos, which at times make them select different scenes or depict things more symbolically. Especially striking is that it avoids the depiction of extreme violence and things that relate to it: knives, swords, dismemberment... Notice how even the prince's decapitated head, the most dramatic moment in the story, the resolve if you will (it concludes Philomela's revenge on the king) - the VM represents this head by a strange, symbolical form. You can see the hair on the sides, bloodstained, you can see the pale skin, the neck... but it isn't overtly depicted as a head!
- VM insists on nudity in most cases, often complicating things because sometimes a character's dress is important. It uses attributes like the spindle instead.
- VM has an extreme focus on female characters and sometimes even gives men boobs! I think this might be because someone has been adding boobs afterwards, you can see evidence of this in some characters.
- VM uses unusual patterning and symbolism at times, for example in the final picture it shows one of the women diving downwards towards a wind-wing like thing, suggesting the imminent transformation.
What do you think?
By the way, I'm onto some other scenes as well, but all the points I mentioned above make it very hard to analyze. I don't know if it would be the best to put this on the forum already or kind of stay in my own corner until it's more certain?