Was the VMS artist a fan of Michael Scot?

[ReneZ]

Name five.

While, on the face of it, that seems like a reasonable request, it would only lead to a pointless discussion about which "qualifications" are important or good. In order to be at least fair, I'll name one: Konrad von Butzbach.

Now first of all, I do not think that he is the author of the Voynich MS, for exactly the same reason: there are too many other candidates with the same or better qualifications.
He is not on anybody's radar because he is barely known outside the specialists' world.

Let me exemplify the issue with judging qualifications, by presenting my opinions on the bullet list:

[*]She was in the court of Sigismund, with access to a huge number of manuscripts, including the Pal. Lat. original Taccola De Ingeneis,

[*]Was interested in mining and construction, and personally owned gold mines, hence has probably read Taccola,

[*]Voyaged in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Tyrol, South Germany,

[*]Went on diplomatic missions throughout the Holy Roman Empire,

[*]Was exiled in Melnik Castle, where by chance Tepenecz lived personally a few years later (who we know owned the VMS because he signed it),

[*]Was a woman, so probably interested in women's health more than men,

[*]Was widely known to practice alchemy and occultism,

[*]Had the means and resources and manpower to write, or have someone write, an extensive cipher book,

[*]Was fluent in at least 6 lanuguages, including South German, which the VMS marginalia is thought to be written in,

[*]Her royal crown matches that in the illustrations of nymph's crowns in the VMS.

Access to a library or manuscript collection seems to be useful, but there are thousands of people who fall into that category.

Mining and construction has only a hypothetical connection with the Voynich MS. If any.

Voyaged around the Alps: not a particularly necessary qualification, and again thousands of candidates lived and travelled there.

Diplomatic missions: no relation with the Voynich MS

Melnik castle: this is just (cool) piece of trivia but plays no role

Alchemy and occultism: not at all sure that the Voynich MS is about this. Medicine and herbalism is what we should be looking for.

Means and resources: that applies to hundreds or thousands of people

Fluent in six languages: not a necessary condition. Two would be enough, three a bonus.

Her royal crown: we don't know if the crown is hers, and even if so, it would have been sufficient to have seen it, not to have worn it.

Yes, I know I skipped one.