Rare Leonardo Manuscript Has Mold

The "Codex Atlanticus" by Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci is infested with mold spores and needs immediate restoration.

CBC News reported on December 22, 2007 that the Codex Atlanticus (1478-1518), the largest manuscript of drawings and writings by Italian High Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), is infested with mold.

Milan's Biblioteca Ambrosiana, the 1120-page work's proprietor, is actively pursuing sources to finance the 12 volumes' expensive treatment. Many of the drawings now exhibit black to red hues, indicative of the mold's presence. The text became infected despite being kept in a climate-controlled vault. An American scholar first detected the mold's presence in April 2006. So far, four Florentine conservators have performed a "minimum emergency restoration" free-of-charge to stem the spores' growth. For a successful restoration, the volumes need to be dried, their pages must be cleaned and the mold has to be removed.

The oversized Codex Atlanticus was assembled by Italian Mannerist sculptor Pompeo Leoni (1533-1608). It covers such topics as anatomy, astronomy, aviation, botany, chemistry, geography, mathematics, mechanical science and weaponry. Painting, sculpture, architecture and engineering are also examined. The codex could have been contaminated during its last public exhibition at the Milanese historical library in 1998 or when a select number of scholars were given rare permission to study it.

One wonders if philanthropist Bill Gates of Microsoft, owner of Leonardo's 72-page Codex Leicester (1508-1512) since 1994, will help fund the restoration effort.

Source:

• Pedretti, Carlo. The Codex Atlanticus of Leonardo Da Vinci: A Catalogue of Its Newly Restored Sheets. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp., 1978.