The storerooms of the Royal Library of Turin open virtually to the public, showing Leonardo's masterpieces

The repository of the Royal Library of Turin opens virtually to the public: a video that takes viewers through the halls of the famous Library founded by Alberto di Savoia Carignano in 1832 is available on MiBACT’s YouTube channel.
Presenting the immense heritage it holds is director Giuseppina Mussari: more than two hundred thousand printed books, five thousand cinquecentine, one hundred and eighty incunamboli and two thousand drawings, including many by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Royal Library of Turin houses one of the genius’ most famous works, theSelf-Portrait. The drawing is very delicate and requires long periods of darkness to prevent the light from compromising the red stone stroke, fading it; for this reason it has been exhibited very rarely. Recently theSelf-Portrait was the protagonist of an exhibition set up just at the Royal Library, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death.

In addition to this masterpiece, the vault also holds another important document: the Codex on the Flight of Birds, donated in 1893 by Teodoro Sabachnikoff to King Umberto I. The autograph drawing marks the beginning of Leonardo’s study of the flight and structure of birds, through which he would later go on to design flying machines.

The video The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci by the Royal Museums of Turin, of which the Royal Library is a part, is part of the many contributions that state museum venues have shared for the Culture Doesn’t Stand Still campaign, aimed at developing the supply of cultural heritage that can be enjoyed from home.

A video is available at this link.

Pictured: Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of an Old Man known as Self-Portrait, detail (c. 1515; sanguine on paper, 33.5 × 21.6 cm; Turin, Biblioteca Reale)

The storerooms of the Royal Library of Turin open virtually to the public, showing Leonardo's masterpieces

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.