( Jakob Burckhardt )

Leonardo da Vinci. Il Codice Atlantico. Edizione in Facsimile. Ed. under the patronage of the president of the republic. 12 volumes  in  the  original  size  of 60.2 x 44.5 cm. With innumerable illustrations true to the original in regard of color, size and fit on

2,136  plates

in  the  original  colors.  4,320 pages. – AUGUSTO MARIONI (ED.). Il Codice Atlantico. Transcrizione diplomatica e critica. 12 vols. in 4to (29.7 x 22 cm, 2 sides uncut). 1973-80. Dark brown orig. leather vols.

One of 998 copies. –  The  most  monumental  Leonardo  with its plenty of most important studies gathered nowhere else on

In a prophetic sense showing ways “which were recovered 300 years after his death only and lead to the highest ends” (Rosenberg).  The  whole  quintessence  of  that  what already the young Leonardo hinted to Ludovico Sforza duke of Milan when he offered his services to him as war engineer and artist.

“ For  on  such  oral  conversations
the  content  of  a  strange  document  points
that  has  been  preserved
in  the  bequeathed  documents  of  Leonardo ,
and  that  in  the  famous  Codex  Atlanticus  … ”

(Rosenberg by rendering those 10 promises for war and peace services flabbergasting still today).

But  also  just  artistically  the Codex Atlanticus is  the  revelation :

First  sketches  to  the  portrait  of  Beatrice  d’Este ,
studies  for  the  Adoration  of  the  Kings ,
for  the  picture  of  Leda , for  the  monument  of  Francesco  Sforza .

And finally  the  invaluable  proofs  of an outright breathtaking  architectural  talent :

Never realized as so many other. “If only the artist had taken the leisure to complete creations which still in their fragments will produce an after-effect through many centuries” (Rosenberg).

Passed over to Melzi Leonardo’s manuscripts – ca. 15 volumes – remained together till the death of the friend (1570). His son Horatio, however, finally sold 10 to Pompeo Leoni (d. 1610), 1^st sculptor at the court of Philipp II. This arranged the material in chronological order under addition of further drawings, but also copies and even fakes. With the result of at first two gigantic volumes which short time later figured as Codex Arundel and Codex Atlanticus. The latter comprises about ten original codices.

“ In its first systematic arrangement effected in the years 1582 to 1590 Pompeo Leoni organized the codex in a way that the image plates were glued onto a firm base and that so that small ‘windows’ could be opened to make the respective designation visible.

“ The monks of Grottaferrata (who since 1962 restored the codex at the command of Paul VI), who used Japan paper especially produced for this purpose, furnished the Leonardian image plates by a special method with a new strength and so achieved that the pages looked  homogenous  and  uniform.  This way also  the  reverse  of  the  image  plates  inclusive of the previously covered margins became  visible  which before were not to be seen because of the attached frames as Leoni had have made them.

The  result  of  this  work  consisted  in  the  disclosure  of

numerous  drawings , annotations  and  notes  by  Leonardo .

Today  the  codex  has  a  new  systematic  arrangement

so  that  the  original  sequence  of  the  sheets …  emerges. ”

This all reflected by this facsimilation. Up to the bindings which were worked from one single (sic!) skin irrespective of their extraordinarily large size.

All  corresponds  in  absolute  truth  to  the  original .

And all revealed by the 12-volume transcription and commentation in Italian. In the same dark brown leather.  An  absolute  edition .
Offer no. 28,772 / EUR  32100. / export price EUR  30000. (c. US$ 38751.) + shipping

Leonardo – Pedretti, Carlo (Ed.). The Codex Atlanticus. A Catalogue of Its Newly Restored Sheets. 2 vols. 1978. In-4. 256; 320 pp. With text ills. and 13 plates. Orig. cloth.

With a detailed introduction on history, composition and restoration of the Codex and a concise assessment of the vastness, complexity and variety of its contents encompassing the full range of Leonardo’s active life from about 1478 to his death in 1519. Thus spanning more than 40 unrepeatable years of a forever singular genius.
Offer no. 28,596 / EUR  193. / export price EUR  180. (c. US$ 233.) + shipping