[split] Jorge's Retracer Thread: darker ink, retracing of text and drawings

[Jorge_Stolfi]

I'd say the alternative is not EPT, but MIO - Most of the Ink is Original. I haven't seen what I would consider strong evidence of later writing anywhere in the MS, except the folio/quire numbers and maybe some marginalia, but even if there are a handful of places where retracing took place, this won't significantly affect any research into the manuscript, so for practical purposes MIO and EPT are probably the same.

But what you are describing there is Most Text is Original.  And I agree with that.  The Retracers generally tried to restore faded parts of the original text, not add anything new.  Even the Boobs Retracer limited his "creativity" to the lllustrations, not the text.  

I have never looked into evidence for EPT, because for me this would be a little like trying to prove that there is no well camouflaged live elephant hidden in my living room, perfectly blended in with the furniture.

Indeed.  In theory one could prove the EPT by C14-dating every cubic nanometer of ink on some page that is claimed to have "obvious" retracing, like that daiin on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. or the crown f72v1.  But I don't think that will happen soon enough.  Any other ideas?

For example, it has been noted (I think I read this in a post by @pfeaster) that on some folios there is what looks like a problem with the quill that caused tiny gaps and slits in the middle of the strokes.

Those are perfectly normal features of quill strokes.  An essential detail of quill "anatomy" (which is standard even in modern fountain pens) is that the nib is split into two tines that open up slightly when the pen is pressed onto the paper, during the "broad" strokes (like an i or the legs of a gallows).  The periodic opening and closing of the tines pulls ink from the "reservoir" up in the hollow of the feather, and regulates its flow.  Normally the ink fills the gap between the two tines and thus the quill produces a single stroke.  But when the "reservoir" runs out of ink, the gap may run dry, and then one gets two parallel lines, one from each tine.
       
(This is a "quill" I improvised myself from a bamboo twig.  Pretend it is made from a feather instead...)

A good scribe will take care to recharge the quill before that situation happens.  Maybe the VMS scribe was not one of the best, or maybe he was tired or working under pressure, or maybe he hated this job...

All the best, --stolfi