Around 1920, #Voynich had a chemical agent applied to the lower margin of f. 1r of the VMS to see if the erased inscription could be read. The chemicals left a permanent stain on the manuscript, noticeable by comparing the "before" image with the manuscript's current condition:
Due to the chemical agent, Voynich was able to make out the inscription, barely. Recent imaging under U/V light makes the signature clearly visible: Jacobus Tepenecz, a Prague alchemist who seems to have owned the manuscript in the early 17th century:
The point: manuscript provenance includes the study of the physical changes undergone by a manuscript over the years as well as the history of its imaging in the modern period. It is always worth reviewing old images to see what changes in condition they record.
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