18-05-2023, 01:50 PM
I like to keep my personal theory as broad and vague as possible. I used to have a more specific theory, but noticed after a while that this caused me to become more vulnerable to confirmation bias and similar issues. Still, it is impossible to study anything without having some expectations, but I attempt to hold these beliefs as loosely as possible, so I can drop them at a moment's notice.
Currently I think, based on the imagery, that we are seeing an exercise in information processing. The medieval period was keen on metaphors, reading one thing in terms of another. In fact, some of the most popular manuscript traditions do exactly this. Bestiaries show how the natural world reflects biblical truths. And the immensely popular Speculum Humanae Salvationis explains how the old testament is actually about the new testament.
I don't think the VM relates directly to any of these traditions, but it may be the result of the same kind of mindset, one that loves sustained metaphors. For an example, I refer to the paper Cary and I published at the conference, where we pick out one example of a sustained visual metaphor: "the heavens are like a tent".
I would not be surprised if it turns out that the manuscript was made in the context of the maker(s)' education, but I have no more specific idea about this, nor have I ever had a preferred type of author, let alone a specific figure.
Currently I think, based on the imagery, that we are seeing an exercise in information processing. The medieval period was keen on metaphors, reading one thing in terms of another. In fact, some of the most popular manuscript traditions do exactly this. Bestiaries show how the natural world reflects biblical truths. And the immensely popular Speculum Humanae Salvationis explains how the old testament is actually about the new testament.
I don't think the VM relates directly to any of these traditions, but it may be the result of the same kind of mindset, one that loves sustained metaphors. For an example, I refer to the paper Cary and I published at the conference, where we pick out one example of a sustained visual metaphor: "the heavens are like a tent".
I would not be surprised if it turns out that the manuscript was made in the context of the maker(s)' education, but I have no more specific idea about this, nor have I ever had a preferred type of author, let alone a specific figure.