Re: Re: VMs: Medieval Cryptography Info

[Koontz John E <John.Koontz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004, jan wrote:
> I would not jump to coclusion: the handwriting looks like it was done by
> older person, for sure by somehow tired hand, but not necessarily by
> Rudolph.  Also, if it was an older person, he may have used some older
> script - Comenius in the middle of the 17th century actually still used
> unconnected script, so dating by handwriting only could be quite far off
> :-),

I think Rene was already attempting to point out that the resemblance of
the two hands in question was perhaps due to both being formed according
to the same general regional/temporal standard as much as anything.  I
assume there was something other than shakiness and separation of letters
involved in identifying the hand as a Central European one of a certain
range of dates.

Actually, the hand used in a manuscript is usually a fairly valuable
technique for dating and placing it, along with choices of abbreviation,
layout, folding of the parchment, etc.  Fashions in writing come and go
and some matters can fairly be said to have evolved, too.  This is not
something I can do myself, of course, and I have no idea what the
credentials of Rene's Strahov library curator were in this respect.  What
Rene reports, so folks won't have to go back looking for it, was "The
curator of the Strahov library in Prague also identified the handwriting
on f116v of the VMs as late 15th, early 16th century, and Central
European."  I assume he was at least seen something similar with those
associations.  But if he was not a specialist he might not know if similar
features occurred more generally.

My understanding is that along with analysis of the parchment and inks,
etc., rigorous analysis of the handwriting in the VMS remains to be done,
and until they are fragments of information like this seem to have a
definite value.  I'm also intrigued by the report that the month-name
glosses have a Provencal form, and I'd be delighted to see something
specific on the head-dresses of the "nymphs."

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