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Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) filled thousands of notebook pages over his life. On a single sheet a study of muscles can sit beside a flying machine, a weapon, notes on flowing water or sketches for a painting. For him, drawing was a way of understanding the world, not only of recording it.

Smithsonian Magazine

ArtScience

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Leonardo wrote most of his notes from right to left in mirror writing; he was left-handed. When he died in France in 1519, he left his papers to his pupil Francesco Melzi. After Melzi's death they were scattered, and in the late 16th century the sculptor Pompeo Leoni cut up some notebooks and mounted the sheets in large albums. The biggest, the Codex Atlanticus (codex is an old word for a bound manuscript), is named after the atlas-sized paper used for mounting. It holds 1,119 sheets dated from 1478 to 1519 and is kept in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. Other notebooks are in Paris, London and Madrid, and the Royal Collection at Windsor holds many of his anatomical drawings. The Codex Leicester, his notes on water, rock and light, was bought by Bill Gates in 1994 and is the only major scientific notebook of his in private hands.

Türkçe oku
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) hayatı boyunca binlerce defter sayfası doldurdu. Aynı kâğıtta kas çizimlerinin hemen yanında uçan bir makine, bir silah, akan su üzerine notlar ya da bir tablo için eskizler görülebilir. Onun için çizmek, dünyayı yalnızca kaydetmenin değil, anlamanın da yoluydu.

Leonardo notlarının çoğunu sağdan sola, ayna yazısıyla yazdı; solaktı. 1519'da Fransa'da öldüğünde kâğıtlarını öğrencisi Francesco Melzi'ye bıraktı. Melzi'nin ölümünden sonra bu kâğıtlar dağıldı. 16. yüzyılın sonlarında heykeltıraş Pompeo Leoni bazı defterleri keserek sayfaları büyük albümlere yapıştırdı. Bunların en büyüğü olan Codex Atlanticus (kodeks, ciltli el yazması kitap demektir), adını sayfaların yapıştırıldığı atlas boyutundaki kâğıtlardan alır. 1478 ile 1519 arasına tarihlenen 1.119 yaprak içerir ve Milano'daki Biblioteca Ambrosiana'da saklanır. Öteki defterler Paris, Londra ve Madrid'dedir; anatomi çizimlerinin önemli bir bölümü de Windsor'daki İngiliz Kraliyet Koleksiyonu'nda bulunur. Su, kayalar ve ışık üzerine notlarını içeren Codex Leicester'ı ise 1994'te Bill Gates satın aldı. Bu, Leonardo'nun bugün özel bir koleksiyonda bulunan tek büyük bilimsel defteridir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Codex Atlanticus
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