Was the VMS artist a fan of Michael Scot?

[Koen G]

Keep in mind that the printing press meant a huge shift in book culture and was one of the most transformative events in human history. Menocchio was tried 150 years after the VM was written. In between them is the introduction of movable print to Europe and the whole incunabula period. So we're already well beyond the early adopters now and moving towards a situation that's much more recognizable by today's standards.

Regarding the parchment I agree, this fits into my "being able to publish in a top journal" analogy. Although, do we know for certain that they made it themselves? Did parchment makers have different qualities available?