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+--- Thread: f5v - a strange parallel (/thread-2251.html)
f5v - a strange parallel - Koen G - 18-01-2018
I came across an image of fol. 11r, grapevine, from the 13thC Arabic Dioscorides. Its polished style and page layout are reminiscent of the Vienna Dioscorides. When I saw the image and mentally converted the painting style to that of the VM, I realized why it seemed familiar. Compare it to VM f5v:
Now first of all, these are clearly different plants. The Dioscorides plant has grapes, tendrils and a generic root, while the VM plant has flowers, no fruit and a strange root. So consider this a stylistic/formal parallel, not a proposed plant ID. There's a confusing contradiction here, because while the plants are clearly different they are also almost the same.
- First there's the page layout. Large drawing, text hugging the top of the plant (but obviously the Arabic text is right to left).
- Then there's the shading of the leaves. Both drawings show various shades being used, for individual leaves as well as within the same leaf. One would almost think that the Dioscorides reveals the effect the VM painter was aiming for with his limited possibilities.
- The shape of the leaves is also similarly variable in both drawings. Some have five fingers, some three. Some are cross-shaped, others look like butterflies. The veins and leaf edges are similar too. "Partners" in shape, orientation and relative brightness can be found for most leaves, some examples:
- The habit of the plants is similar, though the VM plant does some things which are biologically impossible (branches rejoining).
- Both plants have exactly 21 leaves. I'd intuitively dismiss this as a coincidence. But there is a possibility that the VM illustration of plant x relied heavily on a Dioscorides illustration of the grapevine. In that case, it's no coincidence.
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - -JKP- - 18-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - Koen G - 22-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - MarcoP - 23-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - Koen G - 23-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - Koen G - 29-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - Diane - 30-01-2018
RE: f5v - a strange parallel - Diane - 07-03-2018