Quire 13

[Linda]

It is of course also a possibility to see the colors as elements. I tend rather to regard green and blue as liquid substances and yellow as solid substance ( You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ). But red would be fire/heating in any case. So there would be four components instead of four elements. I base my assumption on the observation that green and blue are indeed both liquids.
 
As for the great work, as far as I know, in the late Middle Ages there was a reduction from four to three levels ( the yellowing was dropped ). The division into seven or even twelve levels is of course also possible but does not have to be. I have found in my recent research even a very "simple" recipe from the late Middle Ages that is translated from Greek to German just eight (!) Lines of text long. All that is used is mercury, sulfur, "clay of art" ( ? ) and some pure gold (1:10). So gold making was sometimes very quick and easy

I'm not saying that in Q13 necessarily the great work is shown. There are also some other options, for example "aqua ignea rectivicata" or "aqua vitae".  One was usually content with the four times distillation for ordinary remedies.

Blue water
Red fire
Green earth, as in the minerals that make up rock (that are in sea water because the earth mixes with the water)
Yellow doesn't work out to air, though, unless sunlight stands for air? But as you said the yellowing was dropped? Sulphur and gold seem to be referenced, so there is that possibility.

But blue is also air, air plus earth begets water...which seems to be shown in the quire by the blue nebuly lines and the blue rock strata. Green is earth but green is also water... yellow is also fire, sulpher brings on these connotations.

Hildegaard von Bingen's universal man shows the earth being rained on, which combines the ideas of air and water.


I could see some correlation happening in this manner.

In the corners of the Fra Mauro map, there are diagrams which connect the worldmap to the elements, the zodiac, the ecliptic, and the garden of eden. I see the elements and eden being involved with quire 13.



With the earth as yellow covered by green water, air blue and outer fire, i think the colours work out well while still mixing around somewhat.