Leonardo da Vinci's unique signature returns to Milan. It will be told by an exhibition

The document bearing Leonardo da Vinci’s only known signature, which had left for Florence in November in order to be digitized by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, has returned to theState Archives in Milan. The signature underwrites the contract for the execution of the Virgin of the Rocks, the only known document to bear the signature of the great Renaissance artist at the bottom. During the Opificio’s campaign, the document was also subjected to diagnostic investigations, the results of which will be revealed shortly.

In the meantime, the signature will be told through an exhibition based on documentary sources about Leonardo. It is titled Black on White. Archival Papers Tell the Story of Leonardo, and it is scheduled at the Palazzo del Senato in Milan (home of the State Archives) from January 16 to March 28, 2020. Curated by Giovanni Battista Sannazzaro with the collaboration of Michela Palazzo, the exhibition aims to provide the public with a multisensory narrative of Leonardo’s Milanese period: the exhibition unfolds in a thematic itinerary focused on the life, works, places and man, also making use of 2D and 3D technologies to bring the visitor into the parallel world of Leonardo’s genius.

The exhibition takes off from a vast research that covered five centuries of history, from the 15th to the 20th, and that was conducted in the State Archives of Milan by the architect Giovanni Battista Sannazzaro: the exhibition will be an opportunity to present a selection of the 350 documents brought to light, among which stand out some unpublished ones of great interest. Transcribed and captured in high definition, the documents will be linked to the most significant images of the works of the Florentine genius to which they refer. In addition, a selection of the documents related to the Last Supper, covering a time span from 1497 to the end of the 19th century, will be the subject of an exhibition that will take place inside the Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano in spring 2020.

The exhibition at the State Archives has obtained the patronage of the National Committee for the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci and is included in the Leonardo 500 program of the City of Milan. Visiting hours: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (reservation only), Friday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (reservation only), Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (admission without reservation). Admission is free; reservations must be made by sending an email to as-mi.comunicazione@beniculturali.it. For more information visit the website or Facebook page of the Milan State Archives.

Pictured: the signature of Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci's unique signature returns to Milan. It will be told by an exhibition

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