Codex Atlanticus

What is the Codex Atlanticus?

The Codex Atlanticus (also known as Atlantic Codex) is a bound collection of drawings and writings (in Italian) by Leonardo da Vinci in 12 volumes, the largest single collection. Da Vinci Codex Atlanticus includes 1,119 leaves (1478 to 1519) and covers a wide range of subjects, from flying to weapons to musical instruments, and from mathematics to botany. The codex was compiled at the end of the 16th century by the sculptor Pompeo Leoni and it is now at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy.

 

5 Key Facts About the Leonardo da Vinci Codex Atlanticus

1) This is the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and notes in existence

No other collection holds more original documents by Leonardo than the Codex Atlanticus. It consists of 1,119 sheets, most of which were drawn or written on both sides.

This is the first page of the manuscript. On the left (below image) is a curious naval weapon: a platform with sixteen cannons mounted on it, capable of covering an entire area with their shells. On the right are special devices for measuring distance traveled: the two on the left measure miles, while the one on the right counts steps.

 

 

 

 

 

Another very interesting detail to note: the left column is one of the rare examples of Leonardo writing from left to right, while in the right column one can observe his typical mirror writing.

 

2) It was not assembled by Leonardo da Vinci

At the end of the 16th century, the Milanese sculptor Pompeo Leoni managed to recover a consistent number of Leonardo’s treatises from the heirs of Giovan Francesco Melzi, a Leonardo’s faithful student. Leoni began work on two large volumes, roughly separating drawings dealing primarily with technical scientific subjects with anatomical and artistic subjects. The former became the Codex Atlanticus, while the latter became the Windsor Collection.

The inscription on the old cover of the codex reads “Machine and Art Drawings, Secrets and Other Things of Leonardo da Vinci, Collection of Pompeo Leoni.

 

3) Why is it called Atlanticus?

The name Atlanticus has nothing to do with the Atlantic or any esoteric, mystical content hidden within its pages. In fact, it was called the Atlanticus because of its size: when assembling it in the late 16th century, Leoni pasted Leonardo’s treatises onto large sheets of paper in the same format as geographic atlases.

This famous map of Europe is particularly interesting because it shows concrete indications of Pompeo Leoni’s actions and processes in organizing Leonardo da Vinci’s papers: the missing part around the Brittany peninsula is now part of the Windsor collection (RL 12444 verso). The reverse of the small Windsor painting shows the missing part of Breton, while the obverse depicts the figure of a youth, a theme clearly more suitable for the second series of Leoni’s collection, a more “artistic” one.

 

4) It is stored in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, since 1637

In 1637, Marquis Galeazzo Arconati, a nobleman of Milan, donated his impressive collection of artwork and manuscripts to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which had been opened 30 years earlier by the Archbishop Cardinal of Milan, founded by Bishop Federico Borromeo. In just a few decades, the library’s fame spread throughout Europe, both for its unique collections covering all fields of knowledge, its openness to dialogue with other cultures, and its innovative approach to the public.

Leonardo spent many years in Milan, first from 1482 to 1499 and then from 1506 to 1513. This plan of the city of Milan dates back to the master’s second stay in Milan and perfectly depicts the position of the ancient city gate behind the castle, the waterway.

 

5) Napoleon brought it to France

In 1796, Napoleon’s troops conquered Milan and the valuable collection was confiscated and taken to Paris. It remained in the Louvre for 17 years until the Congress of Vienna in 1815 ordered that all works of art stolen by Bonaparte should be returned to their rightful countries of origin.

 

 

Home