03-12-2024, 08:45 PM
The VMs cosmos is not hermetic because it does not have planets or planetary spheres. All the parts of the typical astronomical representation have been pared down to just three. The central, inverted T-O Earth, the surrounding field of stars, all inside a circular cosmic boundary. This so-called "Oresme" cosmos is the central part of the VMs illustration.
Hermeticism is hierarchical, it's about moving from level to level. The structure of the three-part cosmos is practically anti-hermetical, in that it has eliminated all those layers. The artist is clearly more than some hermetic parrot.
Historical comparison to cosmic illustrations in BNF Fr. 565 and Harley 334. With both items provenanced to Paris 1400-1450. The VMs artist used the three-part cosmic structure and (greatly) minimized the visual similarities.
Hermeticism is hierarchical, it's about moving from level to level. The structure of the three-part cosmos is practically anti-hermetical, in that it has eliminated all those layers. The artist is clearly more than some hermetic parrot.
Historical comparison to cosmic illustrations in BNF Fr. 565 and Harley 334. With both items provenanced to Paris 1400-1450. The VMs artist used the three-part cosmic structure and (greatly) minimized the visual similarities.