27-12-2025, 10:21 PM
Hallucinating in the water park!
On page f75r, the "Water Slide"
This clip spans an area near the top center of page f75r, including some of the nymphs on the "water slide" (2 to 5 from top to bottom) and the text in the "island" at left, possibly containing nymph labels.
The evidence of retracing on the text is limited to incomplete retracing of a few tails and plumes, plumes retraced in the wrong direction, and sudden dark-light ink transitions between glyphs or strokes. On the drawings there is more evidence, including more bits of probable original (Rt0) traces, now very faint, and garbled retracings or additions, especially of the details characteristic of the "Boobs Retracer". We assume here two rounds of retracing: the general restoration Rt1, and a second retouching pass Rt2.
(A1) abrupt transition from Rt1 glyph to Rt0 tail. (A2) incomplete retracing of q's tail. (A3) Lower half of plume may be original; the top half is slowly retraced (Rt1 or Rt2). (A4) Incomplete retracing of Rt0 glyph - lower half of plume, bit of ligature, lower end of second e.
(B1) Probably original (Rt0) trace of the outline. Note the abrupt transitions to darker traces at both ends. (B2) Original Rt0 traces on face and arm of nymph. (B3) Rt0 eye, redrawn or complemented by Rt1 with another dash a bit lower down. (B4) imperfect retracing of Rt0 lower edge of left arm, and surviving Rt0 traces of armpit and torso outline. (B5) possibly original pond outline, apparently erased. Perhaps because it was not compatible with the Rt1 vertical hatching on the adjacent pond wall? (B6) The lower row of hatch lines may be Rt0. The upper tier by have been added by Rt1 or Rt2.
(J1) Example of Rt1 traces.
(K1) Eye augmented or re-positioned by Rt1 or Rt2.
(Q1) Example of Rt2 traces.
(R1) Imperfect retrace of RT0/Rt1 by Rt2. (R2) Foot of nymph turned into hand by Rt2. (R3) The "shower-caps" (scalloped headbands or tiaras) were probably added by Rt2. (R4) "Transparent" right breast added by Rt2. (R5) Nonsensical Rt2 retracing of the far side of the channel's edge, that connects tho the pool outline below the channel's mouth, instead of above it. (R6) Impossible "ribbon" arm probably mangled (or entirely added) by Rt2. (R7) "Claw" hand probably added by Rt1.
(X1,X2) There may have been original traces in this area (flow lines or ripples?), erased by the painting. (X3) There seem to be faint ink traces here, obliterated by the paint. (X4) The brown edge of painted area suggests that ink was loosened by liquid paint and carried away by it to the edges of the paint puddle.
The inset shows my guess at what the drawing originally looked like, before the paint and the Retracer in(ter)ventions. Every part of it (like the ladle) is just one of infinitely many possibilities; and there may have been several other things in the pond, now lost. The "spartan" style of the nymphs is based on that of those Zodiac nymphs that were not "improved" by the Retracers.
Needless to say, all statements above should be implicitly prefixed with "I think that" etc.
All the best, --stolfi
On page f75r, the "Water Slide"
This clip spans an area near the top center of page f75r, including some of the nymphs on the "water slide" (2 to 5 from top to bottom) and the text in the "island" at left, possibly containing nymph labels.
The evidence of retracing on the text is limited to incomplete retracing of a few tails and plumes, plumes retraced in the wrong direction, and sudden dark-light ink transitions between glyphs or strokes. On the drawings there is more evidence, including more bits of probable original (Rt0) traces, now very faint, and garbled retracings or additions, especially of the details characteristic of the "Boobs Retracer". We assume here two rounds of retracing: the general restoration Rt1, and a second retouching pass Rt2.
(A1) abrupt transition from Rt1 glyph to Rt0 tail. (A2) incomplete retracing of q's tail. (A3) Lower half of plume may be original; the top half is slowly retraced (Rt1 or Rt2). (A4) Incomplete retracing of Rt0 glyph - lower half of plume, bit of ligature, lower end of second e.
(B1) Probably original (Rt0) trace of the outline. Note the abrupt transitions to darker traces at both ends. (B2) Original Rt0 traces on face and arm of nymph. (B3) Rt0 eye, redrawn or complemented by Rt1 with another dash a bit lower down. (B4) imperfect retracing of Rt0 lower edge of left arm, and surviving Rt0 traces of armpit and torso outline. (B5) possibly original pond outline, apparently erased. Perhaps because it was not compatible with the Rt1 vertical hatching on the adjacent pond wall? (B6) The lower row of hatch lines may be Rt0. The upper tier by have been added by Rt1 or Rt2.
(J1) Example of Rt1 traces.
(K1) Eye augmented or re-positioned by Rt1 or Rt2.
(Q1) Example of Rt2 traces.
(R1) Imperfect retrace of RT0/Rt1 by Rt2. (R2) Foot of nymph turned into hand by Rt2. (R3) The "shower-caps" (scalloped headbands or tiaras) were probably added by Rt2. (R4) "Transparent" right breast added by Rt2. (R5) Nonsensical Rt2 retracing of the far side of the channel's edge, that connects tho the pool outline below the channel's mouth, instead of above it. (R6) Impossible "ribbon" arm probably mangled (or entirely added) by Rt2. (R7) "Claw" hand probably added by Rt1.
(X1,X2) There may have been original traces in this area (flow lines or ripples?), erased by the painting. (X3) There seem to be faint ink traces here, obliterated by the paint. (X4) The brown edge of painted area suggests that ink was loosened by liquid paint and carried away by it to the edges of the paint puddle.
The inset shows my guess at what the drawing originally looked like, before the paint and the Retracer in(ter)ventions. Every part of it (like the ladle) is just one of infinitely many possibilities; and there may have been several other things in the pond, now lost. The "spartan" style of the nymphs is based on that of those Zodiac nymphs that were not "improved" by the Retracers.
Needless to say, all statements above should be implicitly prefixed with "I think that" etc.
All the best, --stolfi