Codex Atlanticus

Overview

The Codex Atlanticus is a twelve-volume, bound set of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci — the largest such set. Its name indicates its atlas-like breadth. It comprises 1,119 leaves dating from 1478 to 1519, the contents covering a great variety of subjects, from flight to weaponry to musical instruments and from mathematics to botany.

This codex was gathered by the sculptor Pompeo Leoni, son of Leone Leoni, in the late 16th century, who dismembered some of Leonardo's original notebooks in its formation. It is currently preserved at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

Contents

The folios in the Codex Atlanticus deal with subjects ranging from mechanics to hydraulics, from studies and sketches for paintings to mathematics and astronomy, from philosophical meditations to fables, all the way to curious inventions such as parachutes, war machineries, and hydraulic pumps. It contains studies related to the entire range of Leonardo's interest in science and technology, together with architectural projects, town planning, biographical records, and personal notes.

Compilation & History

This is the largest collection of Leonardo's sheets, formed at the end of the sixteenth century by Pompeo Leoni, who dismembered many original notebooks. In the present arrangement, after the restoration work carried out in the 1960s, the codex consists of 1,119 sheets.

The codex was restored and rebound by the Basilian monks working in the Laboratory for the Restoration of Ancient Books and Manuscripts of the Exarchic Greek Abbey of St. Mary of Grottaferrata from 1968 to 1972.

The Mold Scare of 2006

In April 2006, Carmen Bambach of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City discovered an extensive invasion of molds of various colors — black, red, and purple — along with swelling of pages. Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, then head of the Ambrosian Library, alerted the conservation institute Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. In October 2008, it was determined that the colors found on the pages weren't the product of mold, but instead caused by mercury salts added centuries ago to protect the Codex from mold. The staining appears to be not on the codex itself but on later cartonage.

Journey Through Time

• Late 1500s — Compiled by Pompeo Leoni from Leonardo's dismembered notebooks
• 1610 — Leoni dies; passes to heir Polidoro Calchi
• 1625 — Sold by Calchi to Count Galeazzo Arconati
• 1636 — Donated by Arconati to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan
• 1796 — Removed to Paris by Napoleonic decree
• 1815 — Returned to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana by Austrian Ambassador
• 1968–1972 — Restored and rebound at Grottaferrata

Cover Inscription

DISEGNI DI MACHINE ET
DELLE ARTI SECRETI
ET ALTRE COSE
DI LEONARDO DA VINCI
RACOLTI DA
POMPEO LEONI

"Drawings of Machines and Secret Arts and Other Things of Leonardo da Vinci, Collected by Pompeo Leoni"