There are three differing readings circulating online of a transcription of the meeting held 25 January 1504 to decide where Michelangelo's David would be placed. The line I am interested in translating is the opening one, rendered by the various readings as follows:
1) "Prefati operarii Opere predicte etc. viso qualiter statua seu David est quasi finita"
2) "Prefati operarii Opere predicte etc. viso qualiter statua vel seu David est quasi finita"
3) "Prefati operarii Opere predicte etc. viso qualiter statua alias seu David est quasi finita"
2) gives “vel” for what is apparently written as “vl”.
1) and 2) are readily found online in various books.
3) is only found in Fabbri, Lorenzo, and Giuseppe Giari. “Verbale Della Commissione Di Esperti Incaricata Di Esprimersi Sulla Collocazione Del David Di Michelangelo [25 Gennaio 1504] / Trascrizione Con Note Di Apparato Di Lorenzo Fabbri e Giuseppe Giari.” In: «... Che Stia Nella Loggia»: Leonardo, Il David, l'Opera Del Duomo / a Cura Di Antonio Natali . - Firenze : Mandragora, 2019, 12–23. Link: https://www.academia.edu/40277623/Verba ... o=download
I am not sure which is the correct reading as I am unable to find a legible copy of the transcription anywhere online.
My question: What are all the possible translations of the three?
For example, is "Seeing how the statue otherwise called David is almost finished" a possible translation of 3)?
It is important to set aside the widely accepted idea that Michelangelo's famous sculpture is incontrovertibly a rendition of biblical David when approaching this grammatical task. This is no less a lateral thinking exercise than a translation exercise.