After 22 years, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester manuscript is going on display in Italy. Considered one of Da Vinci’s most important scientific manuscripts, the 72-page notebook published in 1510 contains a collection of writings and drawings from the artist and scientist. His notes, written in columns from right to left, detail his theories on a range of scientific ideas, including the movement of water, astronomy, the existence of fossils, the best way to build bridges, and that the moon glows because it reflects sunlight from the Earth.
It is owned by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who bought it for $30.8 million in 1994 and who has since loaned it to museums in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The last time the document was displayed in Italy was in 1995 in Venice.
This time, he will loan it to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, where it will be on display from Oct. 29, 2018 to Jan. 20, 2019 ahead of the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci’s death (May 2, 1519). To preserve the manuscript, Gates had each of the pages unbound and scanned to create a digital copy.
The exhibit will allow visitors to view the original manuscript as well as peruse digital copies and translations of its pages. The Uffizi will also host drawings from the same time period, on loan from Italian and international museums, as part of the exhibit.
By Kathy McCabe
