THE NOTEBOOK

Pages from Leonardo's Workshop ~ Codex Splendidus
Colophon

About This Notebook

WHAT IS THIS?

This page generates imaginary notebook pages inspired by the legendary codices of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Leonardo filled thousands of pages with observations, sketches, inventions, and reflections on art and nature.

His notebooks, written in distinctive mirror script (right to left), combine scientific observation with artistic sensibility. They cover anatomy, engineering, botany, geology, optics, hydraulics, and more - the work of history's most famous polymath.

MODES

Studies - General observations and sketches
Inventions - Designs for machines and instruments
Anatomy - Studies of the human body
Nature - Observations of the natural world
On Art - Maxims for painters
Life - Timeline of Leonardo's life

WHY MAY 2ND?

Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2nd, 1519, at the Chateau du Clos Luce in Amboise, France, where he had been living as a guest of King Francis I. He was 67 years old. According to legend, he died in the arms of the King himself.

MIRROR WRITING

Leonardo wrote in mirror script - right to left, with each letter reversed. Various theories explain this: that he was left-handed and found it natural, that he wanted to protect his ideas, or that he simply preferred it. To read his notebooks, hold them to a mirror.

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."

- Leonardo da Vinci