Secret teachings, a work of extraterrestrials, or just an elaborate joke: undoubtedly the most mysterious and puzzling manuscript in the history of book illumination

Voynich Manuscript

France, Italy or Spain — End of 15th century or during the 16th century

Voynich Manuscript

Voynich Manuscript

France, Italy or Spain — End of 15th century or during the 16th century

  1. Yale University is proud to own what is undoubtedly the most mysterious medieval manuscript

  2. Wonderfully enigmatic figurative and floral illustrations accompany the text recorded in cryptic cypher

  3. The secret meaning of the manuscript continues to elude scholars and cryptographers to this day

Voynich-Manuskript

Voynich Manuscript

Pharmaceutical Section

Various herbs, roots, and other efficacious ingredients used for creating medicines are shown here alongside a red bowl or mortar in which they will be ground together. Of course, this is only a guess: this page like the rest of the work remains undeciphered to this day despite the efforts of countless codebreakers. Nonetheless, the ingredients appear to be labelled individually and it is difficult to imagine a metaphorical or allegorical use for such a specific-looking text.

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Details

Voynich Manuscript

MS 408 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Alternative Titles:
  • Voynich-Manuskript
  • Voynich Manuskript
  • Manuscrito Voynich
  • Manoscritto Voynich
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
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  1. Short Description
  2. Codicology
Short Description

The document at Yale University that has become known as the Voynich Manuscript is without question the most mysterious and enigmatic manuscript in the history of illumination. It is a work of the 15th or early 16th century and collects wonderfully figurative and floral illustrations with text recorded in cryptic cypher on its 204 pages. Numerous famous names are associated with the history of the Voynich Manuscript, and the riddle and the deciphering of the mysterious text – simultaneously its own science – occupies numerous researchers and enthusiasts to this day. The pharmaceutical, botanical, cosmographic, astrological, or otherwise-oriented Voynich Manuscript is one of the greatest historical mysteries of all time.

Voynich Manuscript

The document that has become known as the Voynich Manuscript of Yale University is without question the most mysterious and enigmatic manuscript in the history of illumination. It is a work of the early 15th or early 16th century and collects wonderfully figurative and floral illustrations with text recorded in cryptic cypher on its 204 pages. Numerous famous names are associated with the history of the Voynich Manuscript, and the riddle and the deciphering of the mysterious text – simultaneously its own science – occupies numerous researchers and enthusiasts to this day. The pharmaceutical, botanical, cosmographic, astrological, or otherwise-oriented Voynich Manuscript is one of the greatest historical mysteries of all time!

To the Scholars via the Emperor

The manuscript, which was presumably made in the 15th or beginning of the 16th century in central Europe (probably in France, Spain, or Italy), and boasts a diverse provenance. The Voynich Manuscript was in the possession of Kaiser Rudolph II von Habsburg (1576–1612), who had his (Bohemian) court pharmacist Jacobus Horcicky de Tepenecz (d. 1622) research it. The name of the English astrologer John Dee (1527–1608) is also associated with the manuscript. The mysterious manuscript reached came into the collection of Johannes Marcus Marci von Landskron (1595–1667) und Georg Baresch. The latter finally gathered the council of the famous Renaissance Man Athanasius Kircher (1601–1680), who is supposed to have occupied himself with the decryption of the mystery. After Kircher, the Voynich Manuscript presumably reached various libraries in Rome and Italy over the course of two centuries, and was rediscovered by Wilfred M. Voynich (1865–1930) in the year 1912 at the Villa Mondragone in Frascati. Voynich endowed the manuscript, which is named after him today, to Yale University in 1969.

Mysterious Scenes and Large-Format Botanical Depictions

All of these historical personalities were fascinated by an exceptional manuscript from the 15th or 16th century. This dating is the result of the classification of the script and of the material according to the C–14 method. Magnificently colored, large-format drawings illustrate all of the pages of the manuscript. These present depictions of plants, from their roots in the soil up to their flowers and fruits, but also enigmatic, figurative representations and mysterious diagrams. The illustrations have a fantastical-botanical appearance. So is this manuscript a botanical work? A work of minerology or astrology? Of pharmacy or cosmology? Of the esoteric and magical? Or is it something completely different?

What Secrets Hide between the Book’s Covers?

The text, which is artfully draped about the drawings, could give information about the placement of the scientific treatise. However, this is recorded in an enigmatic language, in cryptic cypher. Are we admiring the work of a universal genius? Presumably, several clever heads were involved with the manuscript. A letter written by Johannes Marcus Marci to Athanasius Kircher in 1665 or 1666 speculates that Roger Bacon, the important 13th century English philosopher and academic, is the author of the manuscript, and Voynich shared this hypothesis. In any case, the decryption of the riddle has occupied and fascinated countless researchers and enthusiasts over the years and centuries. Numerous (conspiracy) theories wind themselves around this unique manuscript. It has been continuously asserted that the mystery will be decoded. Yet is that really the case? The riddle remains unsolved to this day…

Codicology
Alternative Titles
Voynich-Manuskript
Voynich Manuskript
Manuscrito Voynich
Manoscritto Voynich
Size / Format
204 pages / 22.5 × 16.0 cm
Date
End of 15th century or during the 16th century
Script
Based on Roman minuscule
Illustrations
Nearly every pages of the manuscript contains scientific or botanic drawing, partly with human figures. Written and drawn in ink and various colors (red, green, blue, yellow).
Content
Scientific or magical text in an unidentified language, in cipher
Artist / School
Previous Owners
Voynich-Manuskript

Voynich Manuscript

A Sunflower (?)

Sprawling from one edge of the page to the other, this botanical miniature is just one of hundreds in this enigmatic manuscript. It has been theorized that it could be intended to be a depiction of a sunflower from the New World. This remains only a theory, unfortunately, because if it were proven true then that would point to precious clues with respect to the manuscript’s origins.

The blue pedals depicted on this page should immediately stick out to the modern observer who is even casually familiar with sunflowers. While special varieties have certainly been created with all kinds of colors, this color in combination with the pseudo-tropical looking leaves and odd, spikey roots balls leaves even the most imaginative botanist scratching their head.

1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Voynich Manuscript“

Voynich-Manuskript Facsimile

Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
Voynich Manuscript – MS 408 – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, USA)
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Voynich-Manuskript Facsimile

1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size). Also included the several fold-out folios of the original codex.
Publisher
Siloé, arte y bibliofilia – Burgos, 2018
Limited Edition
898 copies
Binding
Exact replica of the original binding of the Voynich manuscript.
More Information
Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Price Category: €€€€ (7,000€ - 10,000€)
Edition available
Price: Login here!
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