31-10-2023, 06:39 PM
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Since this thread is about the layout, I will focus on that.
First of all, it is clear that the images existed first and a later person added the text (a frequent feature of the MSS in this thread).
* Many plants are still without text
* A particular feature of this writer is that he is not afraid to have his text overlap with the image. In fact, this is the case in all the folios with added text I looked at so far.
* Preference to place text at the roots or in any free space under the plant.
* Several exceptions, e.g. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. has really bulky roots, so here the text is written over the more forgiving leaves:
* The main exception is when a plant has a long, slender stem, then the text is written over the stem.
In summary, the text insertion strategy of this writer appears to be as follows: he prefers not to have his text interrupted, and attempts to find the best place to lay his text block over the image. This will often be near the roots, presumably when these are not too important and leave a lot of empty space to their sides and underneath.
Sometimes this results in similar layouts to certain VM pages, but both writers use different strategies. They can be generalized as follows:
VM: I want to start as high on the page as possible, as long as I can leave a top margin and the image is not too broad on top. When I encounter an image, I will fill up any gaps and continue on the other side of the image.
This herbal: I would like my text block to be as continuous as possible, therefore I will select a spot where it won't interfere with the image too much and I can just write over any image parts I encounter. This is often the roots or the stem.
Of course there are exceptions to all of this, but I think these general strategies best explain the MSS respective layouts.
Since this thread is about the layout, I will focus on that.
First of all, it is clear that the images existed first and a later person added the text (a frequent feature of the MSS in this thread).
* Many plants are still without text
* A particular feature of this writer is that he is not afraid to have his text overlap with the image. In fact, this is the case in all the folios with added text I looked at so far.
* Preference to place text at the roots or in any free space under the plant.
* Several exceptions, e.g. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. has really bulky roots, so here the text is written over the more forgiving leaves:
* The main exception is when a plant has a long, slender stem, then the text is written over the stem.
In summary, the text insertion strategy of this writer appears to be as follows: he prefers not to have his text interrupted, and attempts to find the best place to lay his text block over the image. This will often be near the roots, presumably when these are not too important and leave a lot of empty space to their sides and underneath.
Sometimes this results in similar layouts to certain VM pages, but both writers use different strategies. They can be generalized as follows:
VM: I want to start as high on the page as possible, as long as I can leave a top margin and the image is not too broad on top. When I encounter an image, I will fill up any gaps and continue on the other side of the image.
This herbal: I would like my text block to be as continuous as possible, therefore I will select a spot where it won't interfere with the image too much and I can just write over any image parts I encounter. This is often the roots or the stem.
Of course there are exceptions to all of this, but I think these general strategies best explain the MSS respective layouts.