#
# Identification:
#
# * Title: "Covered pool"
# * Page: f84r = MS (Rene) = p163 (Stolfi)
# * Folio: f84
# * Panels: f84r
# * Bifolio: bM1 = f75+f84
# * Quire: M (Rene) = XIII (Beinecke)
#
# Newbold VI, Zimansky; Public baths
#
# Attributes:
#
# * Language: B (Currier)
# * Hand: 2 (Currier)
# * Subsets: B (Rene), bio (Stolfi)
# * Subject: biological
# * Colors: green,blue,red (Reeds), blue(1st_bucket_of_middle_pond),red(2nd_bucket),red(hair_of_bot_right_nymph) (Rene)
#
# Description:
#
# The page contains two blocks of text, intercalated with figures of
# three ponds with bathing nymphs. There is a "84", in heavy
# numerals, right against the top edge, near the right corner.
#
# The text
#
# The top block of text apparently has 4 paragraphs with 3.8, 2.8,
# 1.9, and 4.7 lines, and is justified against the left and right
# margins of the page. It starts about 4 cm below the top edge,
# and ends about 2 cm above mid-page.
#
# The first two figures span the width of the whole page, one right
# against its top edge, the other across the middle. The third
# figure, near the bottom left corner, spans only 40% of the width.
#
# The bottom block starts about 2 cm below mid-page and extends to
# the bottom margin. It has two visible paragraphs, with 9.7 and
# 10.9 lines. Both paragraphs are justified against the right margin
# of the page. The first one is justified against the left margin;
# the second one has its left margin shifted right so as to leave
# space for the bottommost figure. Its last five lines are further
# indented by a few mm, apparently to avoid the figure.
#
# The ponds
#
# The three ponds seem to be sunk into flat ground. They have
# sharp edges, without parapets, and irregular outlines. The ponds
# are connected in series by two narrow channels, drawn as three
# closely spaced, parallel wavy lines (suggestive of a sharp
# V-shaped groove), running down the left margin. There are a few
# streaks of dark blue paint, here and there, down the middle of
# the channels. The channel between the middle and bottom ponds
# has a label (unit µ{Y}). A third channel runs diagonally off the
# bottom pond to the very bottom left corner of the page.
#
# Inside each of the three ponds there are a number of naked women
# ("nymphs"), most of them with a showercap-like hairdo or
# headgear. All nymphs are in three-quarters view, with rather
# plump bodies and expressive faces.
#
# The top pond
#
# The top figure shows a pond with 12 bathing nymphs, under what
# seems to be a roof with smooth but uneven outline, about 10 feet
# high. A fringe of tongue-like scales hangs down from the roof.
# Some of the scales are crudely painted blue. This scaly fringe
# bulges downward in places, creating 7 inverted conical mounds. A
# stream of liquid, represented by three parallel wiggly lines,
# falls from the tip of each mound into the pond below. A few
# strokes of dark blue paint have been applied to some of the
# streams.
#
# Hanging from the roof scales, or just behind them, there is a band
# resembling a curtain, about two feet high, extending across the
# whole roof. The band is covered with faint vertical hatching, and
# its bottom edge (which follows the ups and downs of the roof
# sales) is marked by a dotted line, a few inches below the hatched
# part.
#
# At the left of the roof, squeezed against the left edge of the
# page, there is an irregular conical mound, with a small hole at
# the top, lined with about a dozen slanted, wavy, roughly
# parallel ridges or furrows. A fringe of vertical hatching, about
# a foot wide (similar to the "curtain" under the roof) hangs from
# the edge of this mound. Just below the fringe is a tuba-like
# funnel, about five feet tall, a foot wide at the top, half a
# foot wide at the bottom. The funnel's wall seems to be about two
# inches thick The top of the funnel is half-filled with a liquid,
# painted dark bluish. The funnel reaches down to the ground,
# right by the pond's edge; its lower end bends to the right and
# discharges a liquid into the pool.
#
# The pond itself appears to be about 40 feet long by 6 feet
# across, and is drawn as if seen from a low vantage point off the
# longest side. It has a sharp edge without parapet, and a smooth
# vertical wall. The water, about 5 inches below ground level, is
# crudely painted with olive-green tempera.
#
# Standing in the pool are 12 naked nymphs, with showercap-like
# hats or hairdos, with their legs almost completely underwater.
# Almost every nymph has a label above it (unit µ{X}). The
# leftmost nymph has no label, but there is an extra label
# (µ{X.1}) squeezed into the left margin, on the other side of the funnel.
# There is another extra label (µ{X.3}) next to the third nymph, at
# neck-level.
#
# The nymphs seem to be arranged in pairs around six of the seven
# water streams falling from the roof (skipping the second stream
# from the right). In five of the pairs, the two nymphs are facing
# mostly inward, gesturing or conversing
# with each other. In the rightmost pair, however, the West nymph
# ("Miss Otoly") is facing to the right, and seems to be
# interacting with the East nymph of the next pair ("Miss
# Okolshy"). Miss Okolshy, who is still facing West, has both her
# arms stretched backwards. She is holding in each hand one free
# end of a rope-like object, which Miss Otoly seems to be pulling
# away from her. Miss Otoly is defintely smiling, while her
# partner ("Miss Dshedy") looks on, seemingly surprised or
# annoyed.
#
# The middle pond
#
# The middle pond is drawn as if seem from a higher viewpoint,
# about 45 degrees. It is somewhar smaller then the top one,
# apparently 30 feet by 6 feet. Its walls are covered with
# vertical hatching. The water is covered with olive-green paint,
# apparently applied with a pen, in irregular strokes. A small
# patch of the water surface, under the lefmost nymph's arm was
# left unpainted, revealing a light yellow underpaint. However, no
# such underpaint is visible another similar patch, under the arm
# of nymph #7 from the left.
#
# Standing in the ponds are 10 nake nymphs, with the water
# reaching just above their knees. Most seem to be wearing white
# showercap-like headgear or hairdos. Some locks of short curly
# hair, painted yellow, are visible under the "showercaps".
#
# Most of the nymphs are facing West. Nymph #1, the leftmost one
# to the leftholding her right hadn inside a bucket-like vessel,
# about three feet high and one foot wide, with flat rim and walls
# about one inch thick. The bucket's base is apparently fused with
# the ground, right by the pool's edge. It is filled with liquid,
# unpainted.
#
# Nymph #2, about five feet East of #1, is bending over another
# bucket, similar to the first one but shorter and broader
# (about two feet high and wide). She has her right hand in the
# bucket, which seems full to the brim with dark blue liquid.
#
# Nymph #3 is standing right behind #2. Nymphs #4 through #7 are
# lined up behind #3, hand in hand (right arm forward). Nymph #8,
# the rightmost one, is leaning forward slightly, with her right
# hand inside a small bucket (a foot high, less than a foot wide),
# fileld with dark blue liquid. Unlike the other two buckets, this
# one lies inside the pool, and is painted dark purple on the
# outside.
#
# The two remaining nymphs, #9 and #10, are partly hidden
# behind #5 and #7, facing East.
#
# There are no obvious labels on the the middle figure.
# However, first line of text below the figure (µ{P.15})
# has 10 words, just the right number for the 10 nymphs.
#
# The bottom pond
#
# The bottom pool is liver-shaped, not as eongated as the other two,
# with a vertically hatched wall. The water level lies about half a
# foot below ground. The whole figure, water included, is uncolored,
# except perhaps for the red lips and rosy cheeks of the nymphs
# (not yet confirmed) and the red hair of one nymph [Rene ???].
#
# Standing or sitting in the pool are 11 naked nymphs, with the
# same showercap/hairdo/crownlet as the other ones. It is hard to
# see whether their hair is exposed, and no trace of yellow color
# is visible around their heads.
#
# All nymphs are facing West, except for #1 and #2, the leftmost
# ones. Nymph #1 is smaller than the others; she is standing
# behind Nymph #2, with her left arm stretched forward, holding
# some round object in front of #2's face.
#
# Nymphs #3 to #6 are sitting side by side near the far end of the
# pool. Nymphs #7 to #9 are sitting in front of them, also side by
# side. Nymph #10 is standing at the right end of the pond,
# leaning forward, with her right hand in the water. Nymph #11 is
# sitting behind #10.
#
# There are no obvious labels on this figure. However, the first
# line of the bottommost paragraph (µ{P.24}) starts right above
# this figure; its first word sticks beyond the left margin, and
# the first 11 words are unevenly spaced.
#
# There is a blue-black smudge in front of nymph #6, that could be
# a blurred illegible word.
#
# Comments:
#
# The label at the left of the top pond (µ{X.1}) must belong to the
# leftmost nymph, which has no free space above her. Likewise the
# label next to the third nymph (µ{X.3}) seems to belong to her,
# since the space above apepars to be wholly taken by the label of
# the second one (µ{X.2}).
#
# The "rope" between Miss Otoly and Miss Okolshy may be a towel,
# which the former is trying to snatch from the latter.
#
# The roof over the top pond may represent a cave. The scales
# hanging from the roof would be stalactites, and the curtain behind
# them could be dripping water.
#
# The lack of color on the bottom pond is intriguing. It tends to
# support the theory that the colors were added later. (If they had
# been applied by the author while or right after finishing each
# page, he must have gone on to the next page while this one was
# only half-painted; and never bothered to come back to it. Not
# impossible, but rather strange...)
#
# It is also curious that the nymphs on the bottom pool have little
# visible hair, if any. (The images do not have enough resolution to
# settle this question). They all seem to have their hair fully
# gathered inside a showercap.
#
# Indeed, the nymphs in the bottom pool could be asians... Could it
# be that the very hair of other nymphs (not just its color) is a
# late addition?
#
# References:
#
# [1] Smythe, Frank. "A Script Full of Secrets" and "The Uncrackable
# Code" in "Mysteries of Mind, Space & Time: The Unexplained", pp.
# 3062-3069. H. S. Stuttman, Inc., Westport, Connecticut, USA.
# Copyright 1992 by Orbis Publishing, Inc. [Originally published in
# "The Unexplained" in the UK.]
#
# Last edited on 1999-12-15 23:57:30 by stolfi