#
# Identification:
#
# * Title: "Virgo"
# * Page: f72v2 = KG (Rene) = p141 (Stolfi)
# * Folio: f72
# * Panels: f72v2
# * Bifolio: bK1 = f71+f72
# * Quire: K (Rene) = XI (Beinecke)
#
# This page is the central verso panel of an eight-panel fold-out.
#
# D'Imperio figure 10, page 88 (center).
#
# Attributes:
#
# * Language: ? (Currier)
# * Hand: ? (Currier)
# * Subsets: Z (Rene), zod (Stolfi)
# * Subject: zodiac
# * Colors: ??? (Reeds), blue(dress) (Rene)
#
# Description:
#
# Six faint, mostly concentric, mechanically drawn circles delimit
# three rings of text (units µ{R1}, µ{R2}, µ{R3}, outside-in). The
# outer ring crosses the fold into page f72v3, and runs under that
# page's diagram, so the text is interrupted between 08:30 and
# 09:30. There are conspicuous gaps in the inner ring at 09:00
# and in the middle ring at 09:30.
#
# The two outermost circles are not exactly concentric, and the
# third one doesn't quite close on itself (at 06:30).
#
# Inside the inner circle there is a standing woman (with salient
# breasts). She is wearing a long pleated dress, dragging on the
# floor, and a hat or hat-like hairdo resembling a shower cap. The
# dress has a doubly-outlined collar and flaring sleeves ending with
# toothed edges. With her right hand she is holding a star, by a
# wire-like tail; there may be smudged detail to the right of the
# tail, and just inder the right hand. Her left hand is empty and
# half-stretched forward. At her feet is a tuft of grass, and
# a flower with six round petals and a thick S-shaped stem.
#
# Above the flower there is a word in thicker strokes (possibly
# "septe~br" in Roman script, with the tilde over the "e"). Rene [07
# Apr 1999] observes that the "p" is open, like on f116v.
#
# Between the bands of text, there are two bands of naked figures
# ("nymphs"), 12 in the inner one, 18 in the outer one. Most of them
# are clearly female, but some (outer band at 10:30 and at 11:00,
# inner band at 10:30) have undefined sex --- namely, no breasts and
# almost straight hips, but also no genitals. The hairstyle varies;
# some wear scalloped headbands which could be crownlets; three of
# the "male" ones are wearing an "explorer's" hat.
#
# The inner-ring nymph at 04:00 is smaller and is standing on a tub
# with inch-thick walls and uneven edge.
#
# Each nymph is holding or pointing to a star --- except for the
# inner nymph at 00:30, who is just looking at the star, and the
# inner nymph at 01:30, who has no star (or had her star erased).
# Some stars have curved wire-like tails hanging from one of the
# lower rays; none of these tails is used as a handle by the nymphs.
#
# Some nymphs are holding the star with both hands; others have the
# right hand on their lower back, waist, buttock, hip, thigh, or
# belly; and some hold their right arm stretched back and down. The
# inner nymph at 02:00 has the right hand on her left elbow; the one
# at 00:30 has both hands clasped behind her back. The feet are
# generally hidden behind the text ring, but sometimes visible.
#
# There is a label just ahead (clockwise) of each nymph (units µ{S1}
# for the outer band, µ{S2} for the inner band). Some of the labels
# in the inner band (from 05:00 to 09:00) run over the next
# (clockwise) nymph.
#
# Rene [07 Apr 1999] observes that this folio is all curled up.
#
# There is a folio number "???" at the top right corner.
#
# The following table lists some attributes of the nymphs. The
# "rays" column is the number of rays in each star; a "t" means the
# star has a tail. The "hand" column gives the position of the right
# hand; a hour figure measn that the right arm is hel more or less
# straight, in that direction relative to the nymph.
#
# band label place hand rays notes
# ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ----------------------
# inner S2.1 10:15 star 8 no breasts
# inner S2.2 11:30 ribs 8
# inner S2.3 00:30 07:00 7 t hands clasped behind
# inner S2.4 01:15 belly - no star; no right arm; right foot half-raised
# inner S2.5 02:00 elbow 8 feet visible; shallow breasts,hips
# inner S2.6 03:00 waist 8 crownlet
# inner S2.7 04:00 belly 7 smaller, standing in tub
# inner S2.8 05:00 07:00 8
# inner S2.9 06:15 08:00 7
# inner S2.10 07:15 07:00 8 crownlet
# inner S1.11 08:00 07:00 8
# inner S1.12 09:15 hip 8
#
# outer S1.1 10:30 star 8 t no breasts; hat
# outer S1.2 11:00 star 7 no breasts; hat
# outer S1.3 11:45 back 8
# outer S1.4 00:30 butt 8 t
# outer S1.5 01:00 hip 9 t
# outer S1.6 01:45 butt 8 t
# outer S1.7 02:00 waist 8 t no breasts
# outer S1.8 03:15 hip? ? t shallow breasts
# outer S1.9 03:45 back? 7
# outer S1.10 04:30 waist 9
# outer S1.11 05:00 07:30 8 crownlet
# outer S1.12 05:30 belly 7 t
# outer S1.13 06:30 butt 7 crownlet
# outer S1.14 07:00 belly 9
# outer S1.15 07:30 back 7 crownlet
# outer S1.16 08:00 hip 8
# outer S1.17 08:45 07:00 9? erased ray?
# outer S1.18 09:30 waist 7
#
# Comments:
#
# The figure must represent the sign of Virgo, ??? to ???.
#
# The gaps at 09:30 suggest the text should be read starting from there.
#
# The way f72v3 overlaps f72v2 indicates that they were drawn in
# that order.
#
# The fact that the labels in the inner band sometimes overlap the
# following (clockwise) nymph suggests that each label is associated
# with the preceding one; but also that the label of each nymph was
# written after the following nymph was already drawn. Presumably
# all the drawings were done before all labels, or the nymphs were
# drawn and labeled in counterclockwise order.
#
# The fact that the inner nymph at 01:30 has no star, if it is not
# an accident or erasure, suggests that the labels are associated
# primarily with the nymphs and not with the stars.
#
# Rene [27 Mar 1996] observes similarities between the zodiac
# symbols in the VMs and those in a 1440 german manuscript [1]. Says
# in particular that Virgo in that manuscript holds a flower and not
# a star.
#
# Adams Douglas [28 Mar 1996] thinks the star held by the
# symbol-woman is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, usually on the
# her head or a sceptre.
# Rene [31 Jan 1999] confirms this suggestion by reporting a
# medieval illustration of Virgo [3] where the woman is holding three
# cornstalks ("Spica" is Latin for cornstalk) and a "kerykion"
# or harald-staff (akin to the Latin "caduceus"). Robert
# Firth [1 Feb 1999] suggests that the latter may signify that the
# sign is heralding the arrival of Autumn.
#
#
# References:
#
# [1] Manuscript Palat. Lat. 1369. Samples in [2].
#
# [2] Fritz Saxl, book about astronomical and astrological images in
# medieval manuscripts.
#
# [3] Michael Scotus, "Liber introductorius" (Munich Latin Codex CLM 10268).
# reproduced by [4].
#
# [4] Franz Boll, "Sphaera", 1903.
#
# Last edited on 1999-04-21 09:02:36 by stolfi