Leonardo Da Vinci is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived, responsible for the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, The Madonna of the Carnation and Vitruvian Man.
Leonardo was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, and this captivating book provides the reader with a unique insight into the life and work of one of history's most intriguing figures.
All of Leonardo Da Vinci's work is presented in this compact volume - from his paintings and frescos, to detailed reproductions of his remarkable encrypted notebooks. As well as featuring each individual artwork, sections of each are shown in isolation to reveal incredible details - for example, the different levels of perspective between the background sections of the Mona Lisa, and the disembodied hand in The Last Supper. 640 pages of colour artworks and photographs of Da Vinci's original notebooks, accompanied by fascinating biographical and historical details are here.
Introduction; 1 Da Vinci's Life; 2 The Art; 3 The Designs; 4 The Collections; 5 The Manuscripts; Bibliography.
Introduction by Carlo Pedretti
The artist's life
Painting
- Baptism of Christ
- Annunciation (Florence)
- Annunciation (Paris)
- Portrait of Ginevra Benci
- Madonna of the Carnation
- Benois Madonna
- Adoration of the Magi
- Saint Jerome
- Virgin of the Rocks (Paris)
- Virgin of the Rocks (London)
- Portrait of a Musician
- Lady with the Ermine
(Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani)
- Portrait of a Lady (La Belle Ferronnière)
- Last Supper
- Sala delle Asse
- Portrait of Isabella d'Este
- Head of a Young Woman (La Scapiliata) - Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
and Saint John the Baptist (London)
- Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
and a Lamb (Paris)
- Saint John the Baptist
- Bacchus (Saint John)
- Mona Lisa or Gioconda
The drawings
Drawings in Italy
- Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi,
Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe
- Turin, Biblioteca Reale
- Venice, Gallerie dell'Accademia
- Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana
- Rome, Gabinetto Nazionale
delle Stampe e dei Disegni
Drawings in Europe
Drawings in America
The Collections
Codex Atlanticus
Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Windsor Collection
Windsor Castle, Royal Library
- Anatomy
- Landscapes, plants and water studies
- Horses and other animals
- Figure studies
- Miscellaneous papers
The manuscripts
Codex Trivulziano
Milan, Biblioteca del Castello Sforzesco
Codex on the Flight of Birds
Turin, Biblioteca Reale
Manuscripts of France
Paris, Institut de France
Codices of Madrid
Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional
- Madrid I
- Madrid II
Codex Arundel
London, British Museum
Forster Codices (I-III)
London, Victoria and Albert Museum
Codex Hammer
Seattle, Bill Gates Collection
Libro di Pittura (Book on Painting)
Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica
Vaticana
Bibliography
