VViews and JKP are mostly accurate in their references to these patterns. Stolfi's description of the first Zodiac examples is at Rene's site. In the description of f71r, he uses the term: "start here" marker for the patterns in two of the circular bands of text around the central medallion. Stolfi used them to start his text transcriptions.
There are various markers to be found in several locations containing circular bands of text. Some markers are simple; some patterns are more numerous. Some patterns are complex, some are unique. The markers in the VMs Zodiac are both complex and unique. Besides the two on White Aries, there is another in Cancer. However, there are only these three examples of such markers in all of the VMs Zodiac and these are the only uniquely complex markers in the VMs. If this marker is simply used to designate a location to begin the transcription, why aren't markers found in every circular band? Does each band need to be transcribed? Or just these three? What is the 'purpose' of these makers, and why would an investigator propose something more than casual insignificance to these particular examples?
The answer is shown by a clear conjunction of parts between one of the patterned markers and one of the blue-striped tub patterns in White Aries illustration, providing the tub pattern is correctly understood in the traditional and historical sense. Religious tradition is invoked through this connection and the interpretation is reinforced in various ways that are built into the construction of this illustration.
Koen provides Stolfi's comment on coloration: "that most of the VMs colors are apocryphal and bogus." But if it's "most" but not *all*, are any colors intentional or accurate? If so, what examples? The situation in the VMs Zodiac is that much of it is not painted. And yet it contains one example of a page that is almost fully painted, which is the page in question: f71r. Coloration requires paint or some other system of designation. Almost everything on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is painted, with the exception of the animal in the central medallion. This offers some implication that the choice was made to leave the animal intentionally 'white' rather than accidentally unpainted. In addition to which, all the other VMs Zodiac animals in medallions have been painted.
Is the choice of color "apocryphal and bogus" in the matter of the *blue* stripes on f71r, or was it an intentional and accurate decision? What if the stripes were red and the hats were green? Would that option provide any sort of historical grounding? The choice of color and pattern is just as intentional as the creation of the proper hierarchical locations for the paired representations, etc., or the use and placement of papelonny patterns on the two preceding pages. The list of traditional, positional confirmations has actually been drawn into the complexity of the illustration. They are objectively there and a part of historical tradition, certain parts of which almost vanished into obscurity.
I see this thread has already been designated by a little 'brick wall" logo. Such an indicator seems to express an opinion with little in the way of positive interpretation. Might I have the courtesy of an explanation, (the *reasons* I requested initially)? If it is for a failure to reach a definitive interpretation of the VMs language, that is certainly true. But then many others should also be designated likewise. And then there are those who claim to have found this definitive interpretation. Another little logo will be needed for them.
Heraldry does not provide the answers to the VMs. It is an essential part of something greater that substantiates a valid starting place for VMs investigation - because it is there on the page. The VMs is not designed to *feed* information to the reader. It seems more intended to test the investigator again and again with increasing difficulty.
Test Questions:
1) Can you find a simple pattern? Ans: Pairing in the first five houses of the VMs Zodiac, multiplied among themselves, in the designs of the tub patterns, multiplied among themselves and on to Stolfi's markers and beyond.
2) Can you see past an optical illusion? Ans: Clearly the illustration sits on the page, but we turn it to a radial orientation. (Again: f71r)
3) Can you differentiate between visual interpretation and positional description, with examples?
4) Can you read heraldic canting and give relevant examples?
This is a place of beginning that is based on what is drawn *in* the VMs.
There are various markers to be found in several locations containing circular bands of text. Some markers are simple; some patterns are more numerous. Some patterns are complex, some are unique. The markers in the VMs Zodiac are both complex and unique. Besides the two on White Aries, there is another in Cancer. However, there are only these three examples of such markers in all of the VMs Zodiac and these are the only uniquely complex markers in the VMs. If this marker is simply used to designate a location to begin the transcription, why aren't markers found in every circular band? Does each band need to be transcribed? Or just these three? What is the 'purpose' of these makers, and why would an investigator propose something more than casual insignificance to these particular examples?
The answer is shown by a clear conjunction of parts between one of the patterned markers and one of the blue-striped tub patterns in White Aries illustration, providing the tub pattern is correctly understood in the traditional and historical sense. Religious tradition is invoked through this connection and the interpretation is reinforced in various ways that are built into the construction of this illustration.
Koen provides Stolfi's comment on coloration: "that most of the VMs colors are apocryphal and bogus." But if it's "most" but not *all*, are any colors intentional or accurate? If so, what examples? The situation in the VMs Zodiac is that much of it is not painted. And yet it contains one example of a page that is almost fully painted, which is the page in question: f71r. Coloration requires paint or some other system of designation. Almost everything on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is painted, with the exception of the animal in the central medallion. This offers some implication that the choice was made to leave the animal intentionally 'white' rather than accidentally unpainted. In addition to which, all the other VMs Zodiac animals in medallions have been painted.
Is the choice of color "apocryphal and bogus" in the matter of the *blue* stripes on f71r, or was it an intentional and accurate decision? What if the stripes were red and the hats were green? Would that option provide any sort of historical grounding? The choice of color and pattern is just as intentional as the creation of the proper hierarchical locations for the paired representations, etc., or the use and placement of papelonny patterns on the two preceding pages. The list of traditional, positional confirmations has actually been drawn into the complexity of the illustration. They are objectively there and a part of historical tradition, certain parts of which almost vanished into obscurity.
I see this thread has already been designated by a little 'brick wall" logo. Such an indicator seems to express an opinion with little in the way of positive interpretation. Might I have the courtesy of an explanation, (the *reasons* I requested initially)? If it is for a failure to reach a definitive interpretation of the VMs language, that is certainly true. But then many others should also be designated likewise. And then there are those who claim to have found this definitive interpretation. Another little logo will be needed for them.
Heraldry does not provide the answers to the VMs. It is an essential part of something greater that substantiates a valid starting place for VMs investigation - because it is there on the page. The VMs is not designed to *feed* information to the reader. It seems more intended to test the investigator again and again with increasing difficulty.
Test Questions:
1) Can you find a simple pattern? Ans: Pairing in the first five houses of the VMs Zodiac, multiplied among themselves, in the designs of the tub patterns, multiplied among themselves and on to Stolfi's markers and beyond.
2) Can you see past an optical illusion? Ans: Clearly the illustration sits on the page, but we turn it to a radial orientation. (Again: f71r)
3) Can you differentiate between visual interpretation and positional description, with examples?
4) Can you read heraldic canting and give relevant examples?
This is a place of beginning that is based on what is drawn *in* the VMs.