05-10-2026, 01:33 PM
Very premodern of St. Francis to treat lepers with his stigmata exposed like that.
I always like it when various things from a folio are found in the same context. Indeed, the three-lobed thing could be seen as lepers' clappers. See You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
However, that same thread started out with a comparison to pears: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (Voynich ambiguity, anyone?)
It's interesting that in your picture the lepers are depicted using their clapper in the medical facility, where those would serve no function (everybody already knows there are lepers in that room). I suspect it serves like an identifying attribute here.
The thongs as a medic's "pincers" (?) would fit, though not for the first time we run into the issue that they are held by the wrong person.
What would also fit is the fact that the "patient" holding the pincers is covered, in a way, up to the waist, like the bedridden figures in your picture. Additionally, her left hand appears to be under the "cover" or even constrained by a rope. I assume some form of restriction of the appendages may be needed depending on the treatment.
With this image, of course we cannot bypass the "baptism" interpretation, which I have seen proposed independently on several occasions. Even one of the earlier threads on the forum: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
It's also remarkable that the "baptizing" nymph is given a separate "rock" to stand on, making sure she is operating from the shore. This is not something we ever see in Q13, but it makes sense in baptism iconography.
In short, the images don't work in any single straightforward way. Do they work in any way?
A baptism is a cleansing of the soul, and medicine is the cleansing of the body. There might be a bridging context there.
I always like it when various things from a folio are found in the same context. Indeed, the three-lobed thing could be seen as lepers' clappers. See You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
However, that same thread started out with a comparison to pears: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (Voynich ambiguity, anyone?)
It's interesting that in your picture the lepers are depicted using their clapper in the medical facility, where those would serve no function (everybody already knows there are lepers in that room). I suspect it serves like an identifying attribute here.
The thongs as a medic's "pincers" (?) would fit, though not for the first time we run into the issue that they are held by the wrong person.
What would also fit is the fact that the "patient" holding the pincers is covered, in a way, up to the waist, like the bedridden figures in your picture. Additionally, her left hand appears to be under the "cover" or even constrained by a rope. I assume some form of restriction of the appendages may be needed depending on the treatment.
With this image, of course we cannot bypass the "baptism" interpretation, which I have seen proposed independently on several occasions. Even one of the earlier threads on the forum: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
It's also remarkable that the "baptizing" nymph is given a separate "rock" to stand on, making sure she is operating from the shore. This is not something we ever see in Q13, but it makes sense in baptism iconography.
In short, the images don't work in any single straightforward way. Do they work in any way?
A baptism is a cleansing of the soul, and medicine is the cleansing of the body. There might be a bridging context there.