22-10-2021, 07:26 PM
Religious aspects of the VMs have been long considered. The VMs illustrations do not appear to represent religious topics. However religious elements are *not* absent from the VMs. The extent of religious interpretation in the VMs is a matter of perception because there are certain elements that are more subtle and potentially disguised.
An example can be found in VMs White Aries. In the illustration, the artist posses a question. Does the reader know the heraldic origin of the Catholic tradition of the cardinal's use of a red galero? This is the Genoese Gambit. This is the VMs nymph in the inner circle of White Aries, with a red hat and sitting in a blue-striped tub. A whole cascade of interpretations follow on from this historical recognition (the Fieschi popes). Disguise is clearly intentional.
The VMs artist or artists had a level of sophistication sufficient for mnemonics and heraldic canting, and an imagination for fantastic plants, cosmic combinations and hidden historical references. [Hidden, as in obfuscated and made ambiguous - easier to see when they are known, much more difficult otherwise.]
An example can be found in VMs White Aries. In the illustration, the artist posses a question. Does the reader know the heraldic origin of the Catholic tradition of the cardinal's use of a red galero? This is the Genoese Gambit. This is the VMs nymph in the inner circle of White Aries, with a red hat and sitting in a blue-striped tub. A whole cascade of interpretations follow on from this historical recognition (the Fieschi popes). Disguise is clearly intentional.
The VMs artist or artists had a level of sophistication sufficient for mnemonics and heraldic canting, and an imagination for fantastic plants, cosmic combinations and hidden historical references. [Hidden, as in obfuscated and made ambiguous - easier to see when they are known, much more difficult otherwise.]