VMs: Re: Some interesting pictures added + some details

[Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Petr,

> - I saw repetitive ornaments on old Italian maiolica (it's with an "i"
> indeed) that looks like some patterns in f85/86, I didn't see the same
> ornaments on German or Spanish ceramics.

You can date Italian maiolica by this! Simplistically:
1400-1450       geometric/Islamic (and single colour blue)
1450-1480       things gradually became more complex (yellow gets introduced)
1480-1500       (as competition between maiolica manufacturers heats up) 
faces added, etc
1500+           istorico - incredibly complex historical & allegorical scenes

However, using this to date the VMS as a whole may not be helpful, as each 
section probably has its own date - herbal, pharma, balneological, etc. 
Just so you know. :-)

> Is there any theory why this specific picture is missing from the VMS - you
> know the picture with a human figure and zodiac-signs that are connected to
> parts of the body. It's in Paracelsus and now I even saw it in the "Tres
> Riches Heures". It's strange that it isn't in the VMS ...

This is the "zodiac man", which - with the uroscopy charts - form standard 
features of physician's folding calendars of the 15th century.

This gives rise to three interpretations:
(1) the missing folios included this kind of thing
(2) the missing folios could have included them, but didn't
(3) the missing folios couldn't have included them, as the VMs weren't a 
physicians' folding calendar.

I'm working on a paper covering exactly this kind of thing - will post 
fairly shortly. :-)

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....