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Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
- Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
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RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
JustAnotherTheory > 17-09-2026, 02:13 PM
So this may or may not be relevant, but I found a letter from March 1434:
Code:Giacomo della Quercia, operaio del Duomo di Siena, volendosi asscntare da Siena sostituisce in suo luogo due consiglieri deW Opera. Anno domini MCCCCXXX1V-V ind: x die vero xxi Martii. Dominus Jacobus operarius — omni modo etc. (...) Actum Senis in apoteca domini Guidonis de Guidarellis et fratrum aromatariorum in Campo fori ad bucham Casati coramser Mariano Jacobi alias Taccola de Senis et Dominico Bartolopictore de Asciano, testibus, etc.
(You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., page 165, document 126)
A quick translation of the last sentence is the following:
Code:Done at Siena, in the apothecary shop of Lord Guidonis de Guidarellis and the aromatarii brothers(?), in Campo Fori, at the mouth of the Casato, before Sir Mariano Jacobi, otherwise called Taccola, of Siena, and Domenico Bartolo, painter of Asciano, witnesses, etc.
This places Taccola in an apothecary's shop, owned by a certain Guidonis de Guidarellis and his "fratrum aromatariorum", as a witness to a deed in March 1434. A couple of things come to mind:
- The year 1434 is interesting. Book III-IV (Palatino 766), that seems to be relevant to the history of the VMS Quire 13, was finished on Jan. 13, 1433 and was subsequently "lost".
- They meet in an apothecary. In 1400s Siena, apothecaries are not just places where you can buy medicine for illness. According to the 1355 Breve Degli Speziali law, which regulates such places, apothecaries in Siena were allowed to sell (new and used) parchment, manuscripts, herbs (and herbals), ink, paint for illumination, alchemical supplies and other "strange" or non-common items. Why did Taccola and the high-ranking city official Giacomo della Quercia need to meet in such a place?
- According to the text in the letter above, Giacomo was leaving on administrative business and was leaving two of his colleagues as representatives in his stead. Thus they needed witnesses to sign the document. But why do all this is a "shady" place like an apothecary's emporium?
- There is evidence that this shop contained several alchemical manuscripts, recent translations from Arabic originals.
- Who were these "fratrum aromatariorum"? I don't know what the correct translation would be, but in my mind I can imagine "brotherhood of apothecaries", or some other closed circle of people. Unfortunately I have found no further information about the "fratri".
Could this apothecary have something to do with Palatino 766? Could it have been "lost" in one such apothecary? What is the reason for a meeting of such people in such a place? Could they not have done it in a more "official" setting, like the palace, or courthouse?
In any case, this gives evidence that Taccola was a guest in at least one "shady" apothecary. - The year 1434 is interesting. Book III-IV (Palatino 766), that seems to be relevant to the history of the VMS Quire 13, was finished on Jan. 13, 1433 and was subsequently "lost".
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RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
MarcoP > 17-09-2026, 08:23 PM
Giacomo della Quercia is better known as Jacopo
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Domenico di Bartolo was another big time artist
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The shop was in the main square of Siena, Piazza del Campo (in Campo Fori) at the corner with Via Casato, about 50 meters from the Palazzo Pubblico. Not particularly “shady” imo
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RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
JustAnotherTheory > 17-09-2026, 09:22 PM
That's some great detective work, @MarcoP
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RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
Rafal > 17-09-2026, 09:40 PM
Quote:This places Taccola in an apothecary's shop, owned by a certain Guidonis de Guidarellis
Would a proper name of that guy be Guidone (or Guido) de Guidarelli? -
RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
Jorge_Stolfi > Yesterday, 05:44 AM
(17-09-2026, 02:13 PM)JustAnotherTheory Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.They meet in an apothecary. In 1400s Siena, apothecaries are not just places where you can buy medicine for illness. According to the 1355 Breve Degli Speziali law, which regulates such places, apothecaries in Siena were allowed to sell (new and used) parchment, manuscripts, herbs (and herbals), ink, paint for illumination, alchemical supplies and other "strange" or non-common items. Why did Taccola and the high-ranking city official Giacomo della Quercia need to meet in such a place? According to the text in the letter above, Giacomo was leaving on administrative business and was leaving two of his colleagues as representatives in his stead. Thus they needed witnesses to sign the document. But why do all this is a "shady" place like an apothecary's emporium?
I don't see anything shady or strange, and I don't see that letter as implying that Taccola was connected to that apothecary shop or had alchemical interests.
My reading is that Giacomo della Quercia, a contractor or manager of the Dome Opera (construction works) asked Taccola and the painter Dominico to be his witnesses for the legal document stating the transfer his duties to two other managers. So the three met a the apothecary shop, that evidently doubled as a notary public.
All the best, --stolfi -
RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
MarcoP > Yesterday, 07:31 AM
(17-09-2026, 09:40 PM)Rafal Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Quote:This places Taccola in an apothecary's shop, owned by a certain Guidonis de Guidarellis
Would a proper name of that guy be Guidone (or Guido) de Guidarelli?
I think they are both possible. "Guido Guidarelli" should also been an option. I have been unable to find much. The Guidarelli apparently were a prominent family in Ravenna, but I don't know if they were related with the Guidarelli from Siena.
This document about the Senese You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. lists "Conte Guidarelgli", "Contes Guidonis de Guidarellis..." as a "Count" (Conte) - this is dated 1467, so it could well be about another person.
The "Fratres Aromatarii" are even more mysterious...
EDIT this may or may not be relevant:
Quote:In epoca comunale, nei grandi centri urbani come Siena, troviamo gli speziali associati in corporazioni o ‘arti’, la cui struttura sovraintendeva all’osservanza delle regole dell’arte e garantiva che le persone che esercitavano il mestiere fossero effettivamente competenti. Il Breve degli Speziali del 1355, conservato nell’Archivio di Stato di Siena (Fondo Arti 132) stabiliva che chi volesse esercitare la professione di maestro speziale e condurre una bottega, dovesse essere esaminato da una commissione severissima composta dai tre Rettori e dal Camarlengo dell’Arte, da tre speziali scelti e da tre medici.
During the communal era, in major urban centers like Siena, apothecaries were organized into guilds or "arts." The structure of these guilds supervised compliance with the rules of the craft and ensured that those practicing the profession were truly competent. The 'Breve degli Speziali' (Statute of the Apothecaries) of 1355, preserved in the State Archives of Siena (Fondo Arti 132), stipulated that anyone wishing to practice as a master apothecary and run a shop had to be examined by a very strict committee composed of the guild's three Rectors and the Chamberlain of the Art, three selected apothecaries, and three physicians.
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But I doubt that "Fratres" may refer to the members of a guild. It suggests a religious order, but it could also be "the apothecary of Guido Guidarelli and his pharmacist brothers", a family shop?
EDIT2: the Latin name of the Senese apothecary guild was indeed "Ars Aromatarii Civitatis Senensis"
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RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
JustAnotherTheory > Yesterday, 10:39 AM
That's a great find! -
RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
Jorge_Stolfi > Yesterday, 01:10 PM
(17-09-2026, 09:40 PM)Rafal Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Quote:This places Taccola in an apothecary's shop, owned by a certain Guidonis de Guidarellis
Would a proper name of that guy be Guidone (or Guido) de Guidarelli?
"Guidonis de Guidarelli" is indeed "Guido de Guidarelli"; the "-nis" is a Latin inflection for the genitive case ("of Guido de Guidarelli").
All the best, --stolfi -
RE: Palatino 766 pipes, pools, cliffs, streams... (by Taccola)
Mauro > Yesterday, 03:45 PM
(Yesterday, 07:31 AM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The "Fratres Aromatarii" are even more mysterious...
EDIT this may or may not be relevant:
Quote:In epoca comunale, nei grandi centri urbani come Siena, troviamo gli speziali associati in corporazioni o ‘arti’, la cui struttura sovraintendeva all’osservanza delle regole dell’arte e garantiva che le persone che esercitavano il mestiere fossero effettivamente competenti. Il Breve degli Speziali del 1355, conservato nell’Archivio di Stato di Siena (Fondo Arti 132) stabiliva che chi volesse esercitare la professione di maestro speziale e condurre una bottega, dovesse essere esaminato da una commissione severissima composta dai tre Rettori e dal Camarlengo dell’Arte, da tre speziali scelti e da tre medici.
During the communal era, in major urban centers like Siena, apothecaries were organized into guilds or "arts." The structure of these guilds supervised compliance with the rules of the craft and ensured that those practicing the profession were truly competent. The 'Breve degli Speziali' (Statute of the Apothecaries) of 1355, preserved in the State Archives of Siena (Fondo Arti 132), stipulated that anyone wishing to practice as a master apothecary and run a shop had to be examined by a very strict committee composed of the guild's three Rectors and the Chamberlain of the Art, three selected apothecaries, and three physicians.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
But I doubt that "Fratres" may refer to the members of a guild. It suggests a religious order, but it could also be "the apothecary of Guido Guidarelli and his pharmacist brothers", a family shop?
EDIT2: the Latin name of the Senese apothecary guild was indeed "Ars Aromatarii Civitatis Senensis"
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
I think the Aromatarii might have been the guild of apothecaries. Nowadays still exists the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (in Rome), created in 1429 with a papal bulla.