ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 56 | April 2002
Facsimile of Leonardo Papers Acquired
The Codex Arundel is a collection of papers assembled after the death of Leonardo da Vinci (15421519). It includes notes for a book on the physical properties and geographical effects of water, and a broad range of other material encompassing Leonardos other interests in art, science and technology over a period of four decades, from the description of a prehistoric sea monster (c.147880) to architectural projects for the royal residence at Romarantin in France (dating to about 1518). The text is written in Italian in Leonardos characteristic mirror writing.
The original codex, named after the great English collector, Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel (15861646), is now housed in the British Library. The Codex Arundel is generally acknowledged as the second most important Leonardo collection of manuscripts, after the Codex Atlanticus, held in the Ambrosian Library, Milan. The National Library holds a 12-volume facsimile of the Codex Atlanticus, and the purchase of the two-volume Codex Arundel, using funds from the Librarys Acquisitions Trust Fund, is a welcome addition to the Librarys resources on Leonardo da Vinci.
The facsimile of the Codex Arundel edited by Carlo Pedretti, the
leading modern authority on Leonardos manuscripts, was produced by the
Giunti Publishing House in Florence, Italy.
Philip
Jackson
Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: dthomas@nla.gov.au