27-05-2016, 12:29 PM
Hi Davidsch,
I'm not convinced by the Ovid story either. The reasons are those you give and those given earlier in the thread that key parts of the story are missing. Also more generally I have other reservations about Koen Gh's theory that the whole balneo section illustrates the Metamorphoses, but I guess I should save that for somewhere else.
However, I'm not really sure about your last assertion either: that the whole of the balneo section is peaceful. There are a couple of scenes, particularly on folio 80 (r and v) that seem to illustrate impending stabbing (leftmost two nymphs on 80r), possible hair-pulling (third down rightside marginal nymphs on 80v), and potential trampling (two nymphs standing and one laying down on the bottom left of 80v).
Of course all of these are ambiguous, and the "hair-pulling" could be putting the other ones' hair up in a bun (although the other one does not seem to be enjoying it!), while the trampling could just be an effect of awkward perspective/composition. To me, it's really still unclear.
I'm not convinced by the Ovid story either. The reasons are those you give and those given earlier in the thread that key parts of the story are missing. Also more generally I have other reservations about Koen Gh's theory that the whole balneo section illustrates the Metamorphoses, but I guess I should save that for somewhere else.
However, I'm not really sure about your last assertion either: that the whole of the balneo section is peaceful. There are a couple of scenes, particularly on folio 80 (r and v) that seem to illustrate impending stabbing (leftmost two nymphs on 80r), possible hair-pulling (third down rightside marginal nymphs on 80v), and potential trampling (two nymphs standing and one laying down on the bottom left of 80v).
Of course all of these are ambiguous, and the "hair-pulling" could be putting the other ones' hair up in a bun (although the other one does not seem to be enjoying it!), while the trampling could just be an effect of awkward perspective/composition. To me, it's really still unclear.