roots of f2r and Russian illustrations

[Koen G]

So I doubt that these ornaments, most probably Far Eastern in origin, can have anything in common with the VMS drawings.

Are you sure about this? Leaving all details aside, there have been contacts between Europe and the far East, be it directly or indirectly, ever since the existence of the Eastern trade routes. Nothing we know about MS Beinecke 408 excludes the possibility of Far Eastern influence in the source material.

I'm no expert on Eastern styles myself, but I know Diane considers the style of the plants to be influenced by Eastern habit. In my own research, I have identified plants that originated as far as Borneo, which was connected to the trade routes since Antiquity. 

Without knowing wheter or not there is any link between the styles of the VM plants and these drawings, I still find it interesting that Marco noticed a similarity