Antonio del Pollaiolo's architectural drawings for four Renaissance palaces identified

New research by Massimo Giontella, published on Artribune, identifies Antonio del Pollaiolo (c. 1431–1498) as the architect behind four Renaissance palaces, based on drawings in the Codex Urbinas Latin 1397 at the Vatican Apostolic Library. The drawings, previously attributed to an anonymous hand, are now linked to Pollaiolo through stylistic markers such as fig leaves and trees, also found on his tomb. The codex includes contributions from Paolo di Giovanni Sogliani and Francesco di Giorgio Martini's circle. The four projects are: Villa di Rusciano in Florence, redesigned after 1472 for Federico da Montefeltro as a gift from the Florentine Republic for the military victory at Volterra; the Ducal Palace of Gubbio, featuring a griffin and wolf symbolism; the Convent of Santa Chiara in Urbino, commissioned after Battista Sforza's death on July 6, 1472; and Villa di Poggioreale near Naples, built for the Duke of Calabria after 1487, with Pollaiolo claiming authorship via a fig leaf. The Villa di Rusciano included an unfinished chapel with an ostrich emblem. The Ducal Palace of Gubbio retains only a window with dancing children. The Convent of Santa Chiara introduced two projecting wings, later repeated at the Belvedere Palace in the Vatican. Villa di Poggioreale was destroyed in the late 18th century. The research also suggests redating the Urbino Ducal Palace formelle to around 1487.