DISCLAIMER:
In this article, only the version of the author of the article is expressed. The author does not impose anything, and does not call for anything. Just enjoy some nice science fiction!
Let's talk about the High Technologies of the Ancients, or rather the era of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
We are all accustomed to modern gadgets - televisions, tablets, smartphones, webcams, skype. And for us this is commonplace, although in the years of the 1990s all this did not happen yet. Of course there were televisions, but there is definitely no other.
We are also accustomed to historical information, that, for example, in the Middle Ages - nothing of the kind was certainly not. Well, there were mirrors, there was a pipe at the troubadour, a trumpet or a horn at a warrior, and that's all. And if the mail is sent, it's just to launch a pigeon, or equip a messenger. Some expectations, because the messenger will go for a long time.
However, in the paintings and engravings of the 15-16th centuries (the Middle Ages and the Renaissance), we see rather strange objects that do not fit into the usual picture of that time. For example, there is often a strange thing hanging on the wall.
Promotional video:
But it looks more like a huge brooch, this is from the field of women's jewelry. Maybe a mirror - you ask? Still, no, because it is extremely inconvenient for a mirror, since the surface is strongly convex. And this looks very strange. An empty object with no purpose is generally absurd. And what, then, is this "Eye of the Dragon" or Sauron? And what is this thing for?
Let's figure it out.
1st picture
1438 John the Baptist and Heinrich von Wehrl - Robert Kampen. composition - Benedictine monk Heinrich von Werl is praying on his knees, St. John the Baptist.
A bulging something hangs on the wall. Of course, it looks like a mirror, but why should a mirror have such a volume if a flat polished surface is enough ?! Another question is what is it and why?
Further, the device is more serious.
1434 Jan van Eyck (circa 1390-1441) The Arnolfini couple. Oil on wood. 82.2 by 60 cm. National Gallery of London. A. Maykapar.
Behind the couple, a home wall-mounted Visiophone, and many button icons in a circle, such as "Choose a location and fly." Yes, I think these were not just TVs, like we have, but they were real TELEPORTS. And what - I clicked on the desired location, touched the screen, and instantly moved there!
You can see that there are small button icons around this mirror - the monitor, depicting different places:
1490 GIOVANNY BELLINI AND SIMONE MARTIN Allegory. Perfection (hid nakedness with shading).
On some kind of basis, such as the base of a column, there is a naked girl with such a convex mirror.
It doesn't look like a tambourine, nor does it look like a bathroom object. And in this "shield" there is even a reflection or video of a face that clearly cannot be like that, otherwise the man should be much closer to this beauty, but there is no one here! So this is NOT REFLECTION, but VIDEO IMAGE:
Maybe this is the process of establishing a video connection? And in another way, why did she even stand on the pedestal? If she just wanted to comb her hair, then they do it, sorry, not like that …
1449 Christus Petrus “St. Egilius in the workshop :
You see, this is Saint Egilius, but he turns out to be like a master who fixes all sorts of gadgets. Yes, there are a lot of things:
And these two are just clients - came for this 16th century iPhone, or this TV. And what is in this "mirror"? That's right - there is a video call with another couple, they are somewhere on the street. That is, customers check if their favorite tablet is working and how the master repaired their Visiophone:
1515 Massys Quinten 1465 - 1530 Changed with his wife:
A couple of the Middle Ages are sitting at the table. There is a Visiophone on the table, like an ordinary thing, like a telephone or an iPod for us. On the device screen, either a reflection or a broadcast:
1590 CARAVAGIO "Martha and Mary":
There is just a giant Visiophone (well, let's call them so for now!). That is, Martha and Mary, about whom it is said in the Gospel, used such heifers? Whoa! One of the sisters touched the screen of this Skype Visiophone, apparently to activate it:
And there were also mini Visiophones, such as this lady in a chic outfit. See below the brooch type attached to the dress:
Another lady has the same brooch - a visiophone. You see how convenient, the gadget is simply attached to a chain, right on the dress:
It seems that even someone is visible there. Direct video link?
Such "Eyes of the Dragon" are also on the engravings, here is the lady's cool mirror:
And in miniatures. This is Turino - the Milan book of hours. 14 - early. 15 centuries:
It is especially visible here - really like a TV:
1500s of the Book of Hours of Juana the Mad, there are already two videophones here, and even turned off, it is clear that the screen is dark, and no reflection:
But then there must be at least some names for these gadgets, or videophones of the 16th century? People called them something!
Maybe you think I have a good fantasy? Well, if you please.
1535 John De Jones painting "Immaculate Conception".
In the center of the picture is the Mother of God. But on either side of it are depicted objects that seem to be known to us. Only their names are very strange:
Let's translate one of them, just under the "mirror" it is written in Latin - SPECULUM SINE MACULA. Let's translate and play a little with the permutation, this is what we get:
speculum sine macula - perfect mirror
speculum sinem acula - Mirror without dialogue
speculum sinema cula - Through glass cinema
and if you still play with words, then -
speculum sinem a cula - Through the mirror
As you can see, this supposedly Mirror has several functions at once. Especially interesting are THROUGH THE GLASS BLUE and THROUGH THE MIRROR. So this is not just a mirror or a visor, but also a TELEPORT, as I suggested ?! How!
An interesting translation was offered by Irina, you just need to play a little with the words
SPEGLA VM SINEMA - translated from Swedish REFLECT WORLD CINEMA
True, she did it like this, on the European Latin layout, which is even cooler - REFLECT THE WORLD FILM:
Well, wow - is it also GRAPHICS? Yes, this is surprising.
Let's bring the name of the gadget to its normal form - we get something like FILM - VISUALIZER TELEPORT. How do you like that? Fantastic? Maybe…
But that's not all. Do you think these are just pictures and nothing more? Well, if you please - antique mirrors of the 17-19th centuries as they are:
Almost one to one like in the pictures. True, they removed what was responsible for the VIDEO or TELEPORT functions.
Yes, just like that, in a conspicuous place everything is shown and indicated. We don't see.
The painting of 1535 shows many more wonderful devices, and their names are even more wonderful. But that's a completely different story …
I express my gratitude to Larisa Mosunova for the valuable material provided for this article!
Author: Evgeny Makarov