# # Identification: # # * Title: "Libra" # * Page: f72v1 = KH (Rene) = p142 (Stolfi) # * Folio: f72 # * Panels: f72v1 # * Bifolio: bK1 = f71+f72 # * Quire: K (Rene) = XI (Beinecke) # # This page is the innermost 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: yellow(stars) (Reeds), green(scales),blue(inside_scale_baskets) (Rene) # # Description: # # Six faint, mostly concentric, mechanically drawn circles delimit # three rings of text (units 程R1}, 程R2}, 程R3}, outside-in). The # outer ring touches the binding gutter on the right, and is # completely erased in the copy from 07:30 to 10:00. A radial stroke # cuts across the middle ring at 08:30, and a much fainter one cuts # the inner ring at 09:00. # # The two circles that delimit the inner ring of text are quite # irregular, and on the left side they have been traced twice. # # Inside the inner ring there is a two-plate balance scale, slightly # offset to the right. The beam is a narrow rectangular ruler, with # a darker stripe running down its middle. The pivot is not visible, # but seems to be fixed at the bottom of an upright rectangular # frame, with a handle or ring on top (partly hidden under the # innermost text ring). A narrow triangular pointer rises from the # beam's midpoint up to the top of the supporting frame. An object # resembling a sliding counterweight seems to be resting over the # beam, a little to the left of the pivot. Each end of the beam has # a thin horizontal extension, from whose tip there hangs a # hemispherical cup with thick walls, supported by three straight # threads or wires. # # Below the scale there is a single word in non-Voynich script, # apparently "oct~ebre" in lowercase cursive Roman script (with a # tilde or macron over the "te"). # # There may be some faded details in the blank spaces around the # scale, especially in the upper left area and just below the scale. # The manger on the opposite side of the folio (f72r1) is faintly visible # just below the scale's right arm. # # Between the rings of text, there are two bands of naked figures # ("nymphs"), 10 in the inner one, 20 in the outer one. Most of them # are clearly female (visible breasts, long hair). All nymphs are naked, # mostly in 3/4 view (between frontal and facing clockwise). # # A hole in the vellum, less than 5mm across, covers a small segment # of the middle ring. at 03:00. The preceding word runs up to the # hole, but is apparently complete. The nymph in the inner band at # 03:15 is squeezed against the hole, but is complete, too. The # innermost of the two circles that delimit the text ring stops a # couple of mm before the hole, and resumes a couple of mm beyond # it. When the fold-out is completely open one can see though the # hole part of the 02:45 nymph from page f71v. # # There is a Voynichese label just clockwise of each nymph # (units 程S1} and 程S2}, outer and inner). # # The outer nymph at 12:15 wears a crown, consisting of a ring of # flaring, unequal triangular points, each with a small dot; and a # dome with double outline, topped by a spike or cross (too small to # tell). The nymph at 03:15 in the outer band seems to be wearing # a shower cap. None of the other visible nymphs have any headgear. # # Each nymph is holding or touching a star with her left hand, # usually at one of the star's lower rays. Most stars are filled # with color. Her righ hand is usually held on her back, buttock, # waist, hip, thigh, or belly; or the right arm is stretched down # and back. The feet are generally hidden behind the text ring, but # sometimes visible. # # The following table summarizes the nymph attributes. The "rays" # column is the number of rays in each star; a "t" means that 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 09:15 butt 8 # inner S2.2 10:15 hip 7 # inner S2.3 11:45 ribs 7 # inner S2.4 00:45 belly 7 # inner S2.5 01:45 belly 7 # inner S2.6 03:30 07:00 7 just after hole # inner S2.7 05:00 butt 7 # inner S2.8 05:45 butt 8 # inner S2.9 07:30 butt 6 # inner S2.10 08:30 belly 8 # # outer S1.1 09:00 belly ? # outer S1.2 09:45 hip ? # outer S1.3 10:15 07:30 8 # outer S1.4 10:45 hip 8? # outer S1.5 11:15 hip 7? erased ray? # outer S1.6 00:15 hip 8 # outer S1.7 00:45 hip 7 with crown; left foot half-raised # outer S1.8 01:15 07:30 8 left foot raised # outer S1.9 01:45 back 8 # outer S1.10 02:15 hip 8 # outer S1.11 02:45 hip 8 # outer S1.12 03:30 butt 9 with shower cap # outer S1.13 04:00 waist 7? erased ray?; left foot half-raised # outer S1.14 04:45 hip 7? left foot raised # outer S1.15 05:00 07:00 7?t # outer S1.16 05:45 hip 9 # outer S1.17 06:30 butt 8 # outer S1.18 07:00 hip 8 left foot raised # outer S1.19 07:30 hip ? left foot half-raised # outer S1.20 08:15 hip 8? left foot half-raised # # Rene [07 Apr 1999] observes that this folio is all curled up. # # There is some writing at the lower right corner: # two illegible characters with a superscript that # could be "m9" in Roman script. # # Comments: # # The scale is the standard symbol for the sign of Libra. # Libra is from ??? to ???. # # The stroke at 08:30, if original, suggests that the text should be # read starting from there. # # The way f72v3 overlaps f72v2 indicates that they were drawn in # that order. # # The drawing of the balance is very accurate in all details, in # spite of the relatively crude perspective and technique. It looks # as if the author was very familiar with the instrument. I suspect # that the model may be more appropriate for a druggist than for a # grocer. # # The details of the drawings around the hole suggest that the # hole was already there when the drawing was made. # # The writing in the lower right corner is almost certainly the # quire number, "???" in abbreviated Latin. # # Denis Mardle [27 Mar 1997] observes that two labels from Pisces # page ( and , old S1.13 and S1.14) occur # on this page too (as and ). Also that # there are no repeated labels on this page. (To check.) # # References: # # # Last edited on 1999-04-20 03:10:04 by stolfi