25-01-2026, 01:46 PM
I would say images first vs text first isn't an universal thing in VM.
In case of plants the images were most probably first and the scribe later did the tricky job of putting the words between stems and petals.
But have a look at the page f81r. It is Quire 13, the balneology section:
Can you see the weird shape of the text on the right side?
It isn't aligned to the right but rather "curving" (I miss English words to describe it properly).
For me it is an argument that some picture was planned to be inserted there but ultimately it didn't happen.
It could mean that in the Quire 13 picture were added after the text.
In case of plants the images were most probably first and the scribe later did the tricky job of putting the words between stems and petals.
But have a look at the page f81r. It is Quire 13, the balneology section:
Can you see the weird shape of the text on the right side?
It isn't aligned to the right but rather "curving" (I miss English words to describe it properly).
For me it is an argument that some picture was planned to be inserted there but ultimately it didn't happen.
It could mean that in the Quire 13 picture were added after the text.