It's all part of the perspective that is relevant to the era. The absence of valid information was filled in by misinformation and the pelican is a perfect example. The simple fact is that a pelican feeds its young by disgorging the fish it has caught. The version in the bestiary is pure misapprehension. And the same goes for so many other things. As the old story goes, medieval astronomy was built on three principles: geocentricity, perfect circles and constant speeds. And all three were wrong. So, it would seem that everything on the artistic side needs to be interpreted from a medieval perspective to the best of our ability. And it is a system that is based on a combination of factors, like the recognition of attributes, from a cosmic spindle to ecclesiastical and armorial heraldry, the use of heraldic canting and the ability to interpret a rebus based on medieval memes.
Koen mentioned the many VMs blue flowers. The color is found throughout. In part, this serves as a means of desensitization. If blue coloration is essential to the intended interpretation of some element in the illustrations, for example, the dress of VMs Virgo, because blue coloration makes the additional connection with the Virgin Mary, and that dress is the only blue image in the whole VMs, it's going to be a lot more obvious, compared with the use of blue paint on numerous pages. The same technique disguises the blue stripes on the tubs of VMs White Aries. Is color choice intentional or irrelevant?
Costmary, the herb of the virgin, and the wings of Saint Michael both function as attributes in the VMs system of interpretation. The fact that both interpretations are mutually compatible in the C-14 medieval era, means that this one proves itself, but what about all the other botanical drawings? Or is this the only one? How numerous are the VMs 'Easter eggs'?
Koen mentioned the many VMs blue flowers. The color is found throughout. In part, this serves as a means of desensitization. If blue coloration is essential to the intended interpretation of some element in the illustrations, for example, the dress of VMs Virgo, because blue coloration makes the additional connection with the Virgin Mary, and that dress is the only blue image in the whole VMs, it's going to be a lot more obvious, compared with the use of blue paint on numerous pages. The same technique disguises the blue stripes on the tubs of VMs White Aries. Is color choice intentional or irrelevant?
Costmary, the herb of the virgin, and the wings of Saint Michael both function as attributes in the VMs system of interpretation. The fact that both interpretations are mutually compatible in the C-14 medieval era, means that this one proves itself, but what about all the other botanical drawings? Or is this the only one? How numerous are the VMs 'Easter eggs'?