1. I do not have a notion that the VMS was created in Northern Italy. I don't know where it was created.
2. Swallowtail merlons were not ornamental in the 15th century, they were political, just like national flags and coats of arms are political. They were not all in northern Italy, but they were almost entirely there except for a few exceptions. If you want to understand swallowtail merlons, look up the Ghibellines and the Guelfs (they were Germans with Italianized names). There were deep divisions between those who supported the papacy and those who supported the Holy Roman Empire.
3. Just because there are swallowtail merlons on the rosettes page doesn't mean it was made there, but it DOES mean that the person who drew them was familiar with them (or whoever instructed the illustrator was familiar with them).
2. Swallowtail merlons were not ornamental in the 15th century, they were political, just like national flags and coats of arms are political. They were not all in northern Italy, but they were almost entirely there except for a few exceptions. If you want to understand swallowtail merlons, look up the Ghibellines and the Guelfs (they were Germans with Italianized names). There were deep divisions between those who supported the papacy and those who supported the Holy Roman Empire.
3. Just because there are swallowtail merlons on the rosettes page doesn't mean it was made there, but it DOES mean that the person who drew them was familiar with them (or whoever instructed the illustrator was familiar with them).