(15-12-2016, 10:16 PM)Linda wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I just realized that many of the objects can appear to have a common theme, one of measurement.
...
Yes, I completely concur. Searcher's insightful suggestion of the cross-staff jolted my thinking in that direction, as well.
A measuring theme not only would fit with the overall scientific tone of the manuscript (scientific in medieval terms, if not in modern terms), but would fit well with the way the rosettes page is constructed (I've always wondered if the triangle in the bottom left might represent an octant /sextant).
I too am wondering how a mirror might fit into a measuring theme. Is it a double meaning, intended as an attribute and as a measuring instrument? The attributes seem carefully selected. I don't think sextants had mirrors until the late 17th or 18th century (will have to look it up) but it occurred to me that mirrors aren't just for reflecting images, they can also be used to reflect light, which might aid in certain kinds of measurement (these days, portable laser lights are used as levels and sighting instruments). Light may not have been used yet in the 14th or 15th centuries, but it might be worth checking.
Edit: I just checked, mirrored sextants weren't in general use until the 1800s and only barely existed in primitive form at the very end of the 17th century.