23-03-2023, 07:31 PM
We cannot be sure, as you say, and I hope you are a big fan of ambiguity because the VMs has plenty of it. Since f75 is off on a new subject, not related to the zodiac, there is another problematic situation regarding whether the VMs bifolios have been <incorrectly> reassembled at some point. However, a full zodiac still seems a more probable than something else.
While the interpretations you suggest are certainly a valid part of the annual and cultural aspects of medieval life and their artistic representations, VMs investigations depend on evidence. I have cited clear examples of paired representations in the initial zodiac medallions and in the tub patterns. Where are the edelweiss and apple blossoms? The botanical section is a jungle. Do you see the nymphs in the VMs Zodiac as peasants performing their seasonal labors? There has already been much discussion about all the nymphs. What they are up to and who they might be.
Heraldry was a proven and valid method of communication in the Middle Ages as relevant to the VMs C-14 dating. Heraldry was used to identify persons, families, ranks and orders. Heraldry, in both armorial and ecclesiastical forms, had been around for several centuries by the first half of the 1400s. And also the rebus-like use of heraldic canting.
One ecclesiastical clue and one armorial hint are combined on one VMs nymph to produce a unique locus of historical connections. But historical connections only function when the relevant history is known. And canting only works when you know the pun.
While the interpretations you suggest are certainly a valid part of the annual and cultural aspects of medieval life and their artistic representations, VMs investigations depend on evidence. I have cited clear examples of paired representations in the initial zodiac medallions and in the tub patterns. Where are the edelweiss and apple blossoms? The botanical section is a jungle. Do you see the nymphs in the VMs Zodiac as peasants performing their seasonal labors? There has already been much discussion about all the nymphs. What they are up to and who they might be.
Heraldry was a proven and valid method of communication in the Middle Ages as relevant to the VMs C-14 dating. Heraldry was used to identify persons, families, ranks and orders. Heraldry, in both armorial and ecclesiastical forms, had been around for several centuries by the first half of the 1400s. And also the rebus-like use of heraldic canting.
One ecclesiastical clue and one armorial hint are combined on one VMs nymph to produce a unique locus of historical connections. But historical connections only function when the relevant history is known. And canting only works when you know the pun.