Colorization - what was it's purpose?

[BessAgritianin]

I think that the colorization in VM was not decorative. It was functional and informational.
The colors are evidence of alchemist painter, not a professional illuminator.
For example the blue cube from f102v2- coloured with copper-base pigment is matching the blue vitriol in the text.

What did the 15 century alchemists develop as colors for their needs:

Deep blue- basis copper carbonate pigment azurite
Bright green- basis copper carbonate piment malachit
Red brown- iron oxide pigment red ochra
Bright yellow- arsenic sulfide-pigment orpiment
The three-color violet on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is a perfect example of why the colors in VM are important. They are intentional encoded information and they are consistant with VM identity as alchemical-pharmaceutical manual.
   
So the colors are not weakness they are signature that the author had used the standard pigments of the alchemist laboratory.
My personal opinion is that they did not have bright red color, this did not help them to paint violet or true red but brownish red.