Re: VMs: Comments from Jan Hurych

["Rafal T. Prinke" <rafalp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jan,

> RAFAL: One way or another, the comparison of Horczicky's signature 
> with the  one in the VM will be inconclusive: if it is positive, 
> why would he write his name in such place and why would anybody 
> else try to erase it?

We do not really need to ask why he would sign it in that place,
as we know there is (was) a least one other manuscript signed
by him in exactly the same place (well, on f. 1r - we don't know
if at the bottom or elsewhere): Kniehy Mistra Albertana.
The former owner's identity is on the front cover ("E bibliotheca
Georgii Bartholdi Pontani a Braitenberg praepositi Pragensis")
but - instead of erasing that inscription and putting his own
in that place - Sinapius signed it on fol. 1r. So we may assume
that it was his habit to sign his books on the first page.
Thus if the signature is really there in the VMS (and now I understand
it is there, since Rene confirmed early copies are in Beinecke),
I believe it cannot have been forged by Voynich. It seems also
highly improbable that it was forged by someone before the VMS
was sent to kircher - but not quite impossible. Sinapius had
considerable reputation in Bohemia for his "waters", so 
a manuscript with his signature which might have contained
pharmaceutical recipes would have higher value.

But at present I feel convinced it was really owned by Sinapius.
Which does not move us ahead very much, unfortunately...

Best regards,

Rafal
______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx with a body saying:
unsubscribe vms-list