R. Sale > 23-09-2024, 10:30 PM
Historical persons have been found in the VMs illustration You are not allowed to view links.
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Login to view. - White Aries. Two persons can be identified, who were popes in the mid and latter parts of the 13th century. They were Innocent IV and Adrian V. Two popes from Genoa, Sinibaldo Fieschi and his nephew, Ottobuono Fieschi. They are identified by their heraldry.
Heraldry was widely used as a method of communication and the heraldic elements here are clearly seen, but somewhat more difficult to interpret because of historical obscurity and the artist's intentional obfuscation.
The two primary heraldic elements are the pattern of alternating blue stripes on the dexter diagonal (paired), and the hat on the inner ring nymph with the combination of blue stripes and a red galero. While neither heraldic element is highly specific on its own, the combination of the two elements leads to these particular historical facts.
As Pope Innocent IV, Sinibaldo Fieschi did 1) initiate the tradition of the cardinal's red galero, 2) make his nephew, Ottobuono, a cardinal (1251), 3) approve the original foundation of the Poor Clares. The cardinal's red galero served as a designation of rank in the church hierarchy. The armorial blazon, 'Bendy, argent et azure" describes the Fieschi insignia. The combination of these two heraldic elements constitutes a unique historical marker and identifies the individuals involved.
The matter of the artist's intentional obfuscation becomes clear when the existence of dualistic construction becomes evident - specifically regarding the orientation of the blue stripes when viewed from a more dominant, radial perspective or a less evident, isolated perspective, when it is the more hidden perspective that corresponds with historical events and various other aspects of confirmation built into the structure of the White Aries illustration.
Considering that these facts were historical at the time of the VMs C-14 dates, reveals that the artist was aware of some fairly exclusive information in relation to Catholic church history and tradition and that s/he chose to disguise it.