Milan, Ambrosiana examines Leonardo da Vinci's French years by showcasing 23 sheets of the Codex Atlanticus

Leonardo in France. Drawings from the French Period from the Atlantic Codex, from June 18 to September 15, 2019 in Milan at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, is the exhibition that delves into the last years of Leonardo da Vinci’s activity, through a selection of 23 sheets from the Atlantic Codex datable to the master’s French sojourn at the court of Francis I.

“The exhibition,” says curator Pietro C. Marani, “focuses on Leonardo’s architectural and hydraulic drawings executed in France between 1516 and 1518, all traditionally placed in relation to the French King Francis I’s plans for a new royal residence to be erected at Romorantin. Here the old château, inhabited by the king’s mother, Louise of Savoy, had already undergone modernization and restoration work in the preceding years, but the new residence desired by the king was developed in a monumental and urbanistic sense, and Leonardo, in his drawings, seems to be oriented toward the design of twin palaces, one for the king, the other for Queen Claude of France, surrounded by canals and pavilions. Perhaps Leonardo’s drawings were not followed up, but Chambord Castle, built beginning in 1519, seems to convey some of Leonardo’s ideas for Romorantin.”

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog, edited by Pietro C. Marani, which will also include a list of all Leonardo’s other French folios, mostly devoted to studies of geometry, lunulae and curvilinear stars, with a new study on papers and watermarks.

For all information you can call +39 02 806921 or visit the official website of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

Pictured: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus (Codex Atlanticus), Sheet 920 recto, Map concerning the hydrography of the area of Romorantin, France, The Loire, Cher and Soudre rivers are mentioned.

Source: communiqué

Milan, Ambrosiana examines Leonardo da Vinci's French years by showcasing 23 sheets of the Codex Atlanticus

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