#
# 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 程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 程X}). The
#     leftmost nymph has no label, but there is an extra label
#     (程X.1}) squeezed into the left margin, on the other side of the funnel.
#     There is another extra label (程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 (程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 (程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 (程X.1}) must belong to the
#   leftmost nymph, which has no free space above her. Likewise the
#   label next to the third nymph (程X.3}) seems to belong to her,
#   since the space above apepars to be wholly taken by the label of
#   the second one (程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