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• Ovid in the Voynich

  Koen G > 12-04-2016, 11:16 AM

  I've mentioned a number of times that I suspect some Voynich plants have been inspired by Greco-Roman stories rather than imagery. In today's blog post, I compare these plants, to see whether their stories can be tracked to a single source. To my surprise, they can.
  
  The five scenes that I analyzed all appear to have been taken literally from Ovid's Metamorphoses. This came as a surprises for me, as I wasn't expecting a single source, much less a Roman one.
  
  There are way too many images to post in this thread, so I'll just link the post:
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  I will gladly answer any questions or remarks, or address anything that's unclear.
  
  

• RE: Ovid in the Voynich

  EllieV > 12-04-2016, 10:55 PM

  Edit Sherwood pointed to this manuscript few years ago - Ovide moralisé, 1380s manuscript made in Paris (Cod 742 Bibliotheque de Lyon)
     

• RE: Ovid in the Voynich

  R. Sale > 13-04-2016, 07:14 PM

  The illustration of Ovid / Prometheus, in the other thread, and the 'whatever' it is that is underneath, went on to something that may be interesting. The 'Ovid'  illustrations from apparently medieval texts frequently show representations of classical deities, to whom the stories relate, as expected. And in some of these illustrations the deity is on, in or otherwise associated with a cloud or cloud-like representation. In all of these examples so far, the artist presents a reasonable representation of the image of a cloud. None of these examples so far relies on the use of a nebuly line.
  
  In contrast, there is the de Pizan work, 'The Book of the Queen' where classical deities are associated with elaborate nebuly lines. Similar cloudy, cosmic connotations apply to the elaborate nebuly band in Oresme's cosmos.
  
  And then we have Ellie's VMs comparison with the Oresme cosmos. And the similar use of nebuly lines. But the VMs has always  looked a bit shabby in comparison. Then, there is a much more elaborate illustration of a nebuly line in the VMs central rosette. So, if there were a clear example of the elaborate nebuly line like the VMs example with a simple three parted circle or sphere, it would be among the closest reproductions of Oresme illustration one could expect. Somehow that connection has been disassembled. And the reasons for that sort of choice need to be considered. Nevertheless, the potential of that combination shows quite a high degree of similarity with the example that had been made in Paris.
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