lunedì 30 ottobre 2017

Italian Herbal - Vermont Manuscript "violet"

Today  I want to show you in  a very fast way from the beginning till the end how I managed to recreate the page of the herbal where the Violet is represented. 
I think that better than commentaries can be the pictures. This time I also wanted to give you a glance of the writing.

Oggi ho il piacere di mostrarvi in rapida sequenza, dall'inizio sino alla fine, la pagina dell'erbario che rappresenta la violetta o viola. Penso che meglio di molti commenti sia semplicemente scorrere le foto. Ho anche dato una piccola visione della calligrafia.











The Final Result
Il risultato finale

Here is the transcription of the text:

VIOLA E FREDDA NEL PRINCIPIO DEL PRIMO GRADO E HUMIDA NEL FINE DEL SECONDO. E PUOSSI SERBARE LA VIOLA SECCHA CIOE EL FIORE DUE ANNI  CON MOLTA EFFICACIA MA MIGLIORE EL PRIMO. ET E FIORE MOLTO MEDICINALE. ET VALE CONTRO EL CALORE DELLA COLLERA FRESCHO E SECCHO. ET CHOLLA VIOLA VERDE SE NE FA SIROPPO VIOLATO, ZUCCHERO VIOLATO, MELE VIOLATO ET GIULEBBE (?) VIOLATO. ET IN MOLTE COSE MEDICINALI SI METTE. ET E CORDIALE. ET VALE CONTRO EL CALORE DELLA COLLERA E DEL FEGHATO E A RISCALDAMENTO DI TUTTO IL CORPO E A PIU COSE. L'AUTORE L'AFFERMA PREFICABILE E BUONA.
 

venerdì 27 ottobre 2017

Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont: The making of a page

I wanted to show the complete making of a page, from a very beginning. The initial page is a white A4 sheet that I put into a moisture of coffee and water and then dried. The effect is a old leaf of pergamen.

On it I draw the imagines, after studying where to place them in accordance to the needed text.

After this first operation I added some details

After details I drew the lines for limiting the text, also in order to give some harmony to the ensemble.


Then I wrote the text (and I also did some red stains....)




After the text I started to paint the flowers


And finally the result:


Here bottom a detail:


Here a comparation between the copy XXI Century and the Original Manuscript XVI Century

         
                  XXI CENTURY                                                                         XV CENTURY

(All paintings by Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

giovedì 26 ottobre 2017

Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont Folio 3

I finally achieved my aim in the reproducing this herbal. The first attempts - maybe because of the paper too modern, let me in total disappointment.

I started then to make a simple white A4 old through a quite simple procedure with coffee.
I then started to write the text on 2 coloums around the central picture, but with edges in order to give a more clean total vision.
The subject is avout the "Cavolo Maggiore"


The writing is simply around the picture in a way like the original; here a comparisition between the original and the XXI Century Herbal:


 Comparing the details:

                          XV CENTURY                                                      XXI CENTURY

 The text is as follows:

 ERBA CAVOLO MAGGIORE VEL SOLAZZO MORTALE DEL FAVA INVERSA. QUESTA ERBA FA LA BARBA GRANDE LA FOGLIA A MODO DELLA NOCE MA NON SI' GRANDE EL SEME NERO COGLIESI DAGHOSTO CHE' E MATURO EL SEME SUO. ET E ERBA DIVERSA ET CON ESSA SIFA MALE E BENE E AQUESTA ERBA STONNO VOLENTIERI E DEMONI APRESSO ET E DEMONIOSA HERBA ET QUANDO LA VAI A CORRE SIA ACCOMPAGNATO PERCHE' MOLTE VOLTE FA ADOMBRARE ALTRUI ET E HERBA PERICOLOSA. NASCE IN LUOGHI ALPESTRI MONTUOSI HUMIDI ET GIA' NON VEDUTA IN ORTI TENUTA DA MALI HUOMENI. E FA IN LUOGHI OSCURI DOVE PUO' POCO SOLE E TERRENI QUASI NON PETROZI NERI E SABBIOSI.
DATO EL SUGHO DI TRE PALLOTTOLINE PURGHA LO STOMACHO E DARNE PIU' FAREBBE INPAZARE ET MAI NON GUAREBBE E SIMORREBBE PERO' E DECTO SOLASSO MORTALE. ET E FREDDA E HUMIDA NEL PRINCIPIO DEL QUARTO GRADO ET E PERICOLOSA E FORTE ET E VELENO  FREDDO ET MOLTE ALTRE COSE SITACE LA POTENTIA E OPERE DI QUESTA HERBA PER LE MALE GENTI NON SISCRIVE QUI. VALE IL SUGO DEL SEME AGLIOCCHI. LA RADICE VALE ALLE PIAGHE E MESTA CON SALE ET ARSI IN UNO TESTO E FACTO POLVERE IN MEZZO ALLE FERITE ET VALE EL SEME E LA FOGLIA ALLE PIAGHE.


Here (bottom) the top part of the folio 3


 The text says:

ERBA BRANCALEONINA MAGGIORE. NASCE IN LUOGHI ALPESTRI UMIDI E NON PETROSI. HA GHUSTO AMARO E HA QUASI ODORE DI AMICE SCHIFENTE. FA FIORI ROSSI BACCEGLI LUNGHI COME SENAPE. VALE ALLO STOMACHO COTTA CON VINO E FACTO EMPIASTRO. COLA DI MAGGIO.


It's interesting to see the differences of the Italian language used in the twin Herbal of Udine that for the same herb says:

ERBA BRANCA LEONINA MAZOR. NASSE IN LUOGHI ALPESTRI UMIDI E NON PETROXI. A' 'L GUSTO AMARO E QUAXI ODOR DE ZIMEXI SCHIFO. FA FIORI ROSSI BAZEGLIE LONGE COME SENAPI. VALE ALO STOMACHO COTTA CON VINO E FATTO IMPIASTRO. COGLIELA DE MAZO.

 Except for some writing differences (the Tuscanian text is much more similar to current Italian) there is just one word with a big difference: Amice (now in Italian "anice") vs Zimexi.
 

mercoledì 25 ottobre 2017

Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont MS

Finally I was able to finish my second page. The text actually reflects some misinterpretation but thanks to a friend, involved in the same passion I will amend them.


Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont MS - Third Part

I wrote "third part", but actually it is the traslitteration of the first part of the second folio of the Manuscript.
A lot of interesting words have been read in this piece, with some effort, I have to admit, and the sense here and there is not so clear.
Here the result


Some very interesting words are like:

ANCIENT ITALIAN / CURRENT ITALIAN
Viludjo = Velluto (velvet)
Bellicho = ombelico (belly button)
Pregha = preghiera (pray)
Allemosina = elemosina (alimony)
ripe = ripiene = (filled up)
re = cosa (from latin "res") = thing


Translation:
Umbilia Venescens is a cold and humid herb in 3 degrees (i.e. "a lot") and makes its root white and round and its buds are round and full (and they have) in the middle a belly button eand like a flower of velvet and it's very greed and very cold. It is usefull against burnings from fire and from heating and also (?)  makes the pray and the alimony if you smash it an put it on the top in a cold and humid thing (?)







martedì 24 ottobre 2017

Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont - Folio 2 XXI Century

Finally I was able to reproduce - partially - the folio 2 of the manuscript.
As it was usual in the past I copied the text, but using my own style, while I simply reproduced the herbs.
This is the first result (for the text and the meaning please check my previous posts)


Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont MS: how to read the Ancient Italian cursive

I have to admit that when I started to read the text I had doubts if I colud ever reach the solution i.e. the reading of the text.
After some observations I started to recognize the words and being Italian I guessed them where it was very difficult.
Here some example and tips:
It is very important to consider that some letters when are together are written in a different way than when they are alone or that some words like "PER" or "E" are totally different written as one should think.
I hope it will help you to read a little the text.

Italian Herbal Manuscript Vermont MS - Second Part

So here we can stat to focus on the text: it was written in ancient Italian in cursive:

"ERBA LUPINA MONTANA NASCE IN LUOGHI E TERRENO TENERO E NON PETROSO HA SAPORE COME LACTUGHA NOSTRALE. VALE AL DOLORE DEL CAPO COTTA IN OLIO ROSATO E UNTO LA TENPIA E LA FRONTE SUBITO SANA. A SOLUTIONE DI DI VENTRE EL SEME PESTO DATO BERE LIBERA. VALE A MORSO DI CANE O DI LUPO RABBIOSO EMORSO VELENOSO POSTA SUSO LERBA O LABARBA PESTA. LANTORE LAFFERMA IN PIU COSE MEDICINALI ESSERE PERFECTA.
ERBA BIANCA LUPINA ALIO MODO ALIO LIBRO FA FIORI GIALLI BARBA BIANCA LA SUA RADICE CUM LEPIAGHE E VENDE EL CHARBONE.
 
 
Therefore a lot of words are now changed: here the list, first the original then the XXI Century  Italian.

Lactugha = lattuga
nostrale = nostrana 
vale al dolore = serve per il dolore
tenpia = tempia
solutione = soluzione
el seme = il seme 
emorso = e morso
suso = sopra
lerba = l'erba
labarba = la barba
lafferma = l'afferma i.e. la riporta
cum = con
el charbone = il carbone

First we note that there is almost not signs like commas or dot. Then the Author didn't use the ' as in current Italian and wrote articles together with nouns. 


"L'ERBA LUPINA MONTANA NASCE IN LUOGHI (E) con TERRENO TENERO E NON PETROSO. HA il SAPORE COME di lattuga nostrana. Serve per il DOLORE DEL CAPO, COTTA IN OLIO ROSATO E dopo aver UNTO LA tempia  E LA FRONTE SUBITO guarisce. Per risolvere (problemi) di VENTRE. Il seme pestato viene DATO da BERE e LIBERA (dal dolore). Serve per il MORSO DI CANE O DI LUPO RABBIOSO e per il MORSO VELENOSO, se l'erba o la barba pestata viene messa sopra.. LANTORE (LA) riporta IN PIù COSE MEDICINALI che sia perfetta.
L'ERBA BIANCA LUPINA trattata il altro modo in altro LIBRO FA FIORI GIALLI BARBA BIANCA. LA SUA RADICE è con le PIAGHE E si VENDE il carbone (che si ricava da essa).
 
 
English translation:
The Erba Lupiana from the mountains grows in tender soils without stones. It has the flavoro of our salad. It is useful against the headache, if it is cooked in rose oil and it immedialty heals persons  after moisturing their temples and their foreheads. It is also good for solving problems with stomach. The smashed seed is given to be drinken agains the bite of a dog or after the bite of a wolf of after a poisoned bite, if the smashed herb or the barbed root are put on (the zone of the bite). Lantore reports in his medical stuff that it is perfect.
The white Lupina is treated in other way in other book. It makes white flowers with white beard. Its root is with plagues. It's possible to sell the coak (produced from it)
 
 It is now interesting to try to help you all to read the text: see next blog 

Italian Herbal - Manuscript Vermont MS "

came across in my reasearch about the Voynich Manuscript to some references (in the fantastic book "The Voynich Manuscript" Edited by Raymenod Clemens and Introduction by Deborah Harkness) about the exsistence of a famous Italian Herbal now in the Vermont Library and totally digitalized.
My imagination and phantasu immediatly focused on it: I add here some links just to give you the idea how important this manuscript is condidered referring to the Voynich Manuscript as well
https://voynichimagery.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/comparing-beinecke-ms-408-and-the-tuscany-herbal-pt1/

https://stephenbax.net/?p=679

I came across also about the idea to depict some pages of it, obviously.
But the main problem was to understand the original old writing (in Italian) that seems to be so impossible. Well, being Italian me too, this was a hard by doeble task. 
I started to read the letters, giving them sense and with some fast efforts I was able to understand all the ancient writing and I want to share this experience with you.


Here we have the second folio of the Herbal Manuscipt:
I decided to try to read the bottom bart of it, i.e. this part:

 
The text in Italian is this:
"ERBA LUPINA MONTANA NASCE IN LUOGHI E TERRENO TENERO E NON PETROSO HA SAPORE COME LACTUGHA NOSTRALE. VALE AL DOLORE DEL CAPO COTTA IN OLIO ROSATO E UNTO LA TENPIA E LA FRONTE SUBITO SANA. A SOLUTIONE DI DI VENTRE EL SEME PESTO DATO BERE LIBERA. VALE A MORSO DI CANE O DI LUPO RABBIOSO EMORSO VELENOSO POSTA SUSO LERBA O LABARBA PESTA. LANTORE LAFFERMA IN PIU COSE MEDICINALI ESSERE PERFECTA.
ERBA BIANCA LUPINA ALIO MODO ALIO LIBRO FA FIORI GIALLI BARBA BIANCA LA SUA RADICE CUM LEPIAGHE E VENDE EL CHARBONE.