10-03-2026, 01:44 AM
I also find this mystery quite interesting, on its own merit.
Why? is the key question, but also: why on parchment?
I had not realised it aligns so well with the original, so that also begs the question: could it have been overlaid on the original book?
Certainly not after it was in the Beinecke.
Overlaid on a digital image is more likely, but that does not explain (perhaps even less) the various changes.
Then, this piece surfaced in Italy. And the wax seal adds to the mystery.
If this was part of a Barschius copy (the most 'spectacular' option) then:
- use of parchment makes little sense
- it appearing in Italy makes sense
- the A.G. wax seal makes no sense.
One prosaic option is that this is all a practical joke, not perpetrated by Fabrizio.
I vaguely remember that Fabrizio inquried about the cost of C-14 dating, but this is obviously costly, and I don't really see how it could be justified.
Why? is the key question, but also: why on parchment?
I had not realised it aligns so well with the original, so that also begs the question: could it have been overlaid on the original book?
Certainly not after it was in the Beinecke.
Overlaid on a digital image is more likely, but that does not explain (perhaps even less) the various changes.
Then, this piece surfaced in Italy. And the wax seal adds to the mystery.
If this was part of a Barschius copy (the most 'spectacular' option) then:
- use of parchment makes little sense
- it appearing in Italy makes sense
- the A.G. wax seal makes no sense.
One prosaic option is that this is all a practical joke, not perpetrated by Fabrizio.
I vaguely remember that Fabrizio inquried about the cost of C-14 dating, but this is obviously costly, and I don't really see how it could be justified.

