#codices

Decorative pages taken from 'Anthology of Persian Poetry' (17th century) by Hafiz, Luthfi, Hilali, Mu’in, Asir.

On this day:

VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT: MOST MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT IN THE WORLD

On August 19, 1666, the rector of Prague University sent a letter and a manuscript to one of his former students, the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. The manuscript had lain forgotten in the monastery library in Frascati, Italy, for 250 years. It was obtained by Wilfred Voynich in 1912 and went on to be dubbed "the Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World."

Christened the Voynich, the six-by-nine-inch parchment codex appears to be a straightforward book. It is, however, over two hundred pages written in a code or unknown language that has never been deciphered. The text is elaborately illustrated with colored drawings of unknown plants and the sun, moon, and stars. Depictions of tiny naked women also frolic over the pages.

First appearing in history in 1586, the book was purchased for a then-outrageous sum of 600 ducats by the Holy Roman emperor, Rudolf II of Bohemia. One of the most eccentric European monarchs of the era, Rudolf collected dwarfs, had a regiment of giants in his army, and entertained all manner of magicians and alchemists. It has been suggested that the Voynich manuscript is the work of Roger Bacon, a famous English monk and scientist, and that it made its way to Prague via John Dee, a famous occultist of the time.

From dating of the vellum, pigments, calligraphy, and drawings, the manuscript is judged to be from the late thirteenth century. It has been labeled as everything from an illustrated herbal, to an alchemical treatise written in code to protect the contents, to an elaborate hoax. Its contents are roughly thought to be divided into sections of astronomy/astrology, biology, cosmology, pharmaceuticals, and recipes. After Voynich's widow died, the manuscript was sold to a book dealer and then donated to Yale University.

A középkori Európa könyvkultúrájának különleges emlékei váltak bárki számára elérhetővé az MNMKK Országos Széchényi Könyvtár digitálistartalom-szolgáltató felületén, a Copián. A nemzeti könyvtár mintegy 400 darab kódextöredéket tett közzé a Fragmenta Codicum adatbázisban. A töredékek digitális másolata és magyar, angol, valamint német nyelvű leírása most először vált szabadon kutathatóvá az online térben.

The Dresden Code: A Maya Treasure

The Dresden Codice is a historical and cultural jewel that gives us a fascinating insight into the Maya worldview. This ancient manuscript deals with divination, astronomical and calendar rituals, including prophecies, agricultural cycles and New Year rituals. It stands out for its complexity and beauty in its illustrations and glyphs.

Created in the Late Postclassical, with dates back to 1210 AD, this codix was discovered at the Royal Library of Dresden in 1739. Their pages are made of tree bark, with figures outlined on black and colored with shades of red, blue and green.

Originating from the Yucatan Peninsula, its main language is Yucateco, with influences from the Ch'olan and Nahuatl.

Throughout the centuries, scholars such as William Gates and Yuri Knorozov have contributed to the understanding of this codix, which remains an invaluable testimony to the rich Maya heritage.

"Khusrau Parviz before his Father Hurmuzd (?)", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian ca. 1430–40

I’ve been playing around with these mixed media collages for the past couple of months. They’re filled with maps, scraps, codes, symbols, sketches, poetry, mythology, Rorschach, Fibonacci, numerology, astrology, binary, love, languages, geometry (sacred, or otherwise), that only I know the answers to. All designed to confuse, befuddle, intrigue, delight, but most of all, make you think. Oh, and…

Iztlacoliuhqui el ciego (la Obsidiana torcida) después de desafiar y caer ante Las flechas de el sol Tonatiuh, es destinado a ser el señor frío de el castigo y la tempestad por la embriagues e inconsciencia humana, una de las Miles manifestaciónes o Nahuales de El Tezcatlipoca Negro.

•

•

•

•