• Options
• Login
• Desktop Style

Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

• Index

  • The Voynich Ninja
  • Voynich Research
  • Imagery
  • Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript
• Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

• Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

  Dobri > 17-01-2025, 03:57 AM

  Ears seem (deliberately?) missing from the human heads painted in the cipher manuscript. 
  
  Perhaps the artist was deaf from birth to ignore such an essential part of the human anatomy.
  
  Although wearing a coif to cover the ears and the hair was still a common practice at the beginning of the 15th century, there are no coif depictions in the manuscript.

• RE: Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

  oshfdk > 17-01-2025, 05:16 AM

  The following post compares human figures from 5 different manuscripts and printed books from roughly the same era, I have found only one hint of having an ear in a single image there: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
  
  Looks like ears were mostly hidden by hair or headwear at the time and it looks like not drawing ears was a common practice.
  
  As a side note, I find it hard to imagine why a deaf artist in particular wouldn't draw ears. When ears are exposed they are a very visible part of anatomy, whether one can hear or not. To me it sounds a bit like saying artists won't draw eyebrows because they don't use them personally for anything.

• RE: Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

  Koen G > 17-01-2025, 07:43 AM

  Dobri, if you want to investigate this, the first thing you should do is find comparative material. Randomly select some early 15th century manuscripts and see how they handle ears.

• RE: Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

  Dobri > 17-01-2025, 10:59 AM

  (17-01-2025, 07:43 AM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Dobri, if you want to investigate this, the first thing you should do is find comparative material. Randomly select some early 15th century manuscripts and see how they handle ears.

  This is a good suggestion, Koen. Although it would be hard to find other images of bathing naked nymphs with ears from the early 15th century for comparison, let's share similar finds indeed. Let's start with folio 72v (Virgo) as compared to an image from "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry", see also You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. In the folio, something that resembles a cross is depicted instead of an ear.

• RE: Searching for Depictions of Ears in the Cipher Manuscript

  R. Sale > 17-01-2025, 07:08 PM

  There's something going on in medieval illustrations regarding the representation of ears. They're either there - or they're not. There seems to have been a fashion, whether it's hats or hairstyles or both, for ears to be somehow covered over in some historical sources more than in others.
  
  In this illustration from the 1460 Epitre d'Orthea, there are various potential opportunities for ears to be shown, but there are none. Except, the dog has two. Considering that this is a representation of historical persons, this would appear to depict the cultural preferences of that time and place.
  
  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
  
  Likewise, in the VMs image above, it's just hair.
  
  Nice hat!
• Next Oldest Next Newest