Leonardo was not at all—as generally retained—“an unlettered man”. An avid reader, he owned nearly two hundred books, an extraordinary number for a 15th-century artist-engineer. The library represents one of the less studied aspects of Leonardo, because it is a “lost library”: only one volume actually used by him has come down to us. The exhibition reconstructs this library through the many references to be found in Da Vinci’s writings: quotations, authors’ names, book titles, and lists of works in his possession. Magnificent manuscripts and precious incunabula are on display, while multimedia allow visitors to leaf through and link them to the pages in the artist’s notebooks. A digital library containing all of the books owned or consulted by Leonardo will be accessible online even after the exhibition’s end.
Exhibition Dates
| 06.06.2019 – 22.09.2019 | Florence, Museo Galileo |
| 04.10.2019 – 12.01.2020 | Roma, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei |
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