The containers in the Pharma section

[VViews]

It seems to me that the evolution of simple to more elaborate containers in the VMS might have a symbolical meaning, in the sense that they could be an indication for the 'preciousness' of the recipe that is written next to them. Could be related to precious or rare ingrediënts, or to the effectiveness of the recipe, or the spiritual value attributed to it... In that case it is possible the author was inspired by the variation of containers he knew from real life, but also that for the most precious recipes he imagined some containers that were even more elaborate than the ones he ever saw.

Hi Karenina,

I agree that this is definitely a possibility. Some medical recipes included very precious ingredients indeed, even gold. Your idea of the correspondence between the complexity of a container and the price/rarity of its ingredients is an idea I don't remember seeing before.

And thank you for posting the link to the tile: I think that tiles, murals and sculptures (especially the ones on building facades) as well as stained glass windows, are potential sources of inspiration for the Voynich illustrations that don't get enough attention.