Kim H. Veltman

Collected Works of Leonardo da Vinci

Plan (1986) Unpublished

In the 1930's the King of Italy appointed the Reale Commissione Vinciana, headed by Professor A. Favaro, to publish the first complete edition of Leonardo's works. The second world war interrupted the project and it has not officially been taken up anew. Nonetheless, scholars have in the meantime produced new transcriptions of a majority of the manuscripts: Brizio (Trivulziano), Keele (Windsor Corpus), Marinoni (Atlantico, Trivulziano, Volo, Mss. AM in progress). Pedretti (Leicester)and Reti (Madrid). Indeed the only major texts which have not been transcribed in the past generation are those in London (British Museum, Codex Arundel; Victoria & Albert Museum, Codex Forster I-III).

The emphasis of the last generation has been on luxury editions aimed at wealthy collectors, far beyond the reach of scholars and even most libraries. The new edition would make a combined videodisc/computer or microfiche/computer version available for major libraries, as well as paperback versions for scholars. The publisher will obtain the support of the Commissione Vinciana in Rome, the Raccolta Vinciana in Milan and the new Leonardo da Vinci Society in London.

The publisher will arrange for permission to reproduce the manuscripts from the libraries and owners involved and make the necessary copyright agreements with respect to the existing transcriptions. The publisher will then film all the treatises and paintings, including those accepted as being school of Leonardo.