On the occasion of the 5th centenary of Leonardo da Vinci‘s death the Uffizi Galleries, in collaboration with the “Museo Galileo”, presents ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester. Water as a Microscope of Nature.’
The exhibition on display in the ‘Magliabechiana Hall’ is curated by Paolo Galluzzi a fine scholar expert in the genius of one of the most iconic figures in the history of mankind.
The world-famous Codex Leicester, temporarily lent to the city of Florence by its owner, Bill Gates, was handwritten by Leonardo between 1504 and 1508, at a time of intense artistic and scientific activity when Florence was defined by Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571): “the school of the world”. The 72 sheets the compose it are full of ground-breaking thoughts, prodigious notes and extraordinary sketches on the movements of water, astronomy, and celestial light. The Renaissance genius conducted haunting experiments to understand the nature of water, to use it as a source for energy and to search for solutions to keep its potentially destructive forces under control.
He also developed innovative ideas on the material nature of the moon, its luminosity and on the history of planet Earth with its continuous and radical transformations. Alongside the Codex Leicester the exhibition will present a number of spectacular original drawings by Leonardo and codex sheets, as the 17th century anthology Del moto et misura dell’acqua (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) or the Codex on the Flight of Birds (Biblioteca Reale di Torino) compiled in the same months as Leonardo was working on the Codex Leicester and exceptionally lent by many Italian and foreign institutions.
This precious and unique collection of writings and drawings is presented as part of a spectacular exhibition, that will fascinate the visitors as a cultural highlight and multimedia experience. In fact, the use of innovative technology allows visitors to leaf through the individual pages of the Codex on digital screens, to access a transcription of the texts in Italian, as well as a translation into English, and to receive multiple information on the issues they address. All paired with a vast range of digital footage produced by Museo Galileo.
Ilona Catani Scarlett