The origin of the Zodiac figures is very complex, and there are at least two stages to be considered.
One, the particularities of certain VM figures are first noted in (Northern) France around the 13th century. There is a lot of evidence for this, and it has been pointed out by various researchers including Diane, JKP and myself. The latest addition was when (forum member) Paris noticed how the Gemini's elusive "crossed arms" pose occurs in stained-glass windows of the Notre Dame in (the city of) Paris. See You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view. and consecutive posts.
See You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view. from my "lobster period" for another example.
What these French examples have in common is that they share unique properties with the VM figures, but are stylistically different since they were made about 200 years before the VM. If the VM figures were taken from a source, this source was most definitely from the early 15th century.
I then noticed that more up to date versions of these figures appeared in the works of Haguenau manuscript mass-producer Diebold Lauber and the anonymous "workshop of 1418" that preceded him. The Haguenau shop churned out a ton of illuminated manuscripts, and it is clear that they had certain methods to facilitate this pre-printing-press volume of mass production. They copied a lot from a number of examples they possessed, so the same figure in the same pose may occur in various different manuscripts. They used a relatively simple style and limited color palette, so if you see a Haguenau manuscript, you recognize it right away. Lauber inherited much of his material and methodology from the "1418" workshop that already existed in Haguenau. What almost certainly happened, in my opinion, is that Lauber or his predecessor obtained French zodiac figures, whether in Zodiac or calendar form.
But this is where things get complicated: Lauber was active in the mid-15th century, and his figures wear period-appropriate clothing. But the VM figures wear very specific clothing appropriate for the period 1400-1430. So its source, whatever that may have been,
precedes Lauber. There is a certain connection between the French material and Lauber, but we don't know the exact path it took and we don't know whether the VM obtained the material through Alsace. I have in the past looked over every Lauber and "Werkstatt von 1418" manuscript I could find, but have not gotten much wiser.
Here you can read more about my search for Gemini images: You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
Now, given the similarities in style between the VM Zodiac figures and Haguenau illustrations in general, there is certainly a good possibility that the VM figures were based on a now lost work from the "Werkstatt von 1418".