Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)

[Bernd]

I fully agree, Koen!
However this has fundamental implications.

For me the question is if Taccola is a necessary source or if all relevant imagery could also have been found in a Kyeser copy. The wavy shorelines and pipes definitely are. The only puzzle piece missing is the star-sun. The problem is that both Kyeser and Taccola were copied in the same time-frame and due to the similarity of the manuscript imagery, we cannot rule out that original Taccola-imagery ended up in a Kyeser copy. However, if we accept such a hybrid Kyeser copy as source, this would push the VM date significantly towards mid 15th century. Likewise, we cannot rule out that an earlier Kyeser copy existed that was the source for both VM and Taccola-imagery, including the star-sun. Such an early Kyeser solves a lot of problems because he better matches the conventional VM date and Kyeser was widely available.

If we accept Taccola as primary source, things look fundamentally different, especially if we require his De ingeneis ac edificiis, libri III-IV, (Palatino 766) with the star-sun. First, Taccola only finished this book in 1433 and second, it was a very obscure work with no known copies. Even the copy for emperor Sigismund remains speculative. There is no proof it ever existed, no records of it. Even if, the circle of people who had access to it certainly was not large. This is not the kind of manuscript your village doctor in rural Switzerland had access to. I've also wondered if Palatino 766 itself was actually the manuscript given to the emperor. That would be odd but not impossible and would explain why nobody found it noteworthy. Well drawn but not exactly a luxury manuscript.

To sum it up, here are several possibilities of VM sources. I am certain that either Kyeser, Taccola or both must have been a source for the VM.:
.)an early Kyeser copy that also inspired Taccola and contained the star-sun -> post 1405
.)a late hybrid Kyeser copy containing mixed Taccola imagery that somehow included the star-sun -> significantly later than 1433

.)Taccola's original notebook of ingeneis 3+4 (Palatino 766) -> post 1432
.)copy of Taccola's ingeneis 3+4 for emperor Sigismund -> 1433
.)another elusive copy of Taccola's ingeneis 3+4 -> post 1433

The question is what happened to the original notebook (Palatino 766)? I tried to inquire its provenience from BNCF but got no reply. I understand they are busy. But please, if someone, preferably Italian (hint-Marco) could look into this, I am sure it would help us greatly. We must know how and when Palatino 766 ended up in the Florence Library and where it was before!!