04-02-2021, 01:46 PM
The thread topic probably lacks a word, like "author". I like to think of the "mind behind the MS" and we don't know how much of the writing / drawing this person did. I trust the expert opinion that there were several scribes.
Apart from these details, the question is a very relevant one.
In the past, there have been some attempts to describe an "author profile", but without much impact.
To decide what the author ("mind behind the MS") knew, one has to distinguish between "accepted views" and individual hypotheses.
The observation that one (out of many) geometrical pattern on the Zodiac tubs matches one (out of many) heraldic pattern is not sufficient for me, to draw any conclusion.
The layout of the herbal pages, on the other hand, clearly shows familiarity with existing herbal manuscripts.
The zodiac drawings clearly show familiarity with zodiac representations.
Apart from these details, the question is a very relevant one.
In the past, there have been some attempts to describe an "author profile", but without much impact.
To decide what the author ("mind behind the MS") knew, one has to distinguish between "accepted views" and individual hypotheses.
The observation that one (out of many) geometrical pattern on the Zodiac tubs matches one (out of many) heraldic pattern is not sufficient for me, to draw any conclusion.
The layout of the herbal pages, on the other hand, clearly shows familiarity with existing herbal manuscripts.
The zodiac drawings clearly show familiarity with zodiac representations.