Unknown history of 600-year-old, coded Voynich Manuscript revealed by researcher
Stefan Guzy has scoured archives from the Holy Roman Empire and believes he has traced back the ownership of the mysterious cipher book.
A researcher studying centuries-old account records may have identified an early owner of the Voynich Manuscript.
Famous for its unique, still undeciphered script, and its unusual illustrations, this book is often referred to as the world’s most
The Art Newspaper
January 13, 2023
© Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
mysterious manuscript. To add to the mystery, little is known about the Voynich Manuscript’s origins. Thanks to a 17th-century letter written by the royal doctor Johannes Marcus Marci, scholars can trace its ownership back to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, who bought it from an unnamed seller for 600 ducats, or gold coins, sometime between 1576 and 1612. But as the manuscript was created in the early 15th century, this leaves around 150 years of ownership unknown.
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