The magic of medieval science was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Yes, they believed in a geocentric cosmos, four elements and all that. And yes, things are heading for an even more comprehensive form of ideological syncretism such as Ficino after the C-14 dates. What does magical, medieval science have to do with non-existent plants? Plant investigators have a different opinion. Labeled illustrations in traditional herbal texts can be problematic. Why expect the VMs plant representations to be photographic? How can the stars connect to the plants if the plants were non-existent to the artist.
How can things be hidden that must be drawn upon a page of a manuscript? The VMs adapts a ready-made visual code. That code is heraldry. There are no magical, mystical secrets in heraldry, though there is trickery. To know the code requires traditional information regarding the history of armorial and ecclesiastical heraldry in the Roman church. Specifically this refers to the cardinal's red galero and the Fieschi armorial heraldry - and the historical connection through Pope Innocent IV. etc.
If red hats and blue stripes, identified by heraldry, can designate a specific historical situation, doesn't that count for something? Or is it really a valid identification? Validation is built into the construction. The figures are in the proper hierarchical placement, both are in the favored heraldic quadrant. Only a white animal is suited for celestial sacrifice, and in the VMs Zodiac sequence, that animal is White Aries.
Steps have also been taken to disguise these armorial images and a study of heraldry shows that modifications of this type are not allowed to be used. It's part of the trickery. Heraldry may not have an expansive role in the VMs, but it can still be significant enough to establish a grounded, historical connection inside this most mysterious manuscript.
How can things be hidden that must be drawn upon a page of a manuscript? The VMs adapts a ready-made visual code. That code is heraldry. There are no magical, mystical secrets in heraldry, though there is trickery. To know the code requires traditional information regarding the history of armorial and ecclesiastical heraldry in the Roman church. Specifically this refers to the cardinal's red galero and the Fieschi armorial heraldry - and the historical connection through Pope Innocent IV. etc.
If red hats and blue stripes, identified by heraldry, can designate a specific historical situation, doesn't that count for something? Or is it really a valid identification? Validation is built into the construction. The figures are in the proper hierarchical placement, both are in the favored heraldic quadrant. Only a white animal is suited for celestial sacrifice, and in the VMs Zodiac sequence, that animal is White Aries.
Steps have also been taken to disguise these armorial images and a study of heraldry shows that modifications of this type are not allowed to be used. It's part of the trickery. Heraldry may not have an expansive role in the VMs, but it can still be significant enough to establish a grounded, historical connection inside this most mysterious manuscript.