Moat so deep, donjon so high…
October 15, 2009I didn’t get around doing much regarding the Voynich lately, much less post anything about it.
To avoid the impression that I’ve fallen off the edge of the world, rather than presenting you something original, let me point your attention today to Richard SantaColoma’s latest work: He has taken the mysterious “rosettes foldout” (aka “f86v”) from the VM, recreated the landscape depicted in 3D, and fed his results into a CAD program.
The original rosettes foldout with its mysterious castles, towers and cities
The result of Rich’s work is this amazing animation which includes a “flyby” of the rosettes landscape. Of course, much of this is speculation, and everything will depend on Rich’s interpretation of the VM painter’s original ideas. I have no idea how useful this will turn out in the end, but in any case it’s a novel and well crafted approach.
Enjoy it on Youtube!
[...] Richard SantaColoma, via Elmar Vogt [...]
Thanks for the mention, Mr. Vogt. As for it’s usefulness, I suppose that will vary according to the individual viewing it. The most valuable thing, IMO, will be for those who did not realize all the bizarre imagery which is on the rosettes pages. I think this could help in that way, because an image like this can clarify what is in there… For instance, I’ll bet many have not noticed the tubes poking out from around the center building’s mound. I never hear them written about, at any rate… but when they are made 3D, and one flies past them, they are hard to miss.
As you and Rene have commented elsewhere, there are certainly features which could be interpreted differently… but most of that is a matter of degree I hope. The relative size of objects, the relative heights of the plateaus… some shapes a bit different. My upper center tower is a bit too large, for one thing. But I think everything of note from the page is in this representation (except the star awning in the center, for clarity), and I have not added, subtracted, or altered anything, I think, inappropriately. It is certainly far from a study guide… but does reflect the arrangement the artist had in mind… the 3D in his/her head, so to speak, which they poorly executed on the sheep skin.
…and it was fun, too. Rich.
[...] like those ideas, and the many others I have received. And Elmar Vogt has a blog post, with some points of his own. So I hope that although I have my own interpretation of the images on [...]