In the depths of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, conservator Vito Milo carefully worked on conserving a 500-year-old drawing from Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus. Using a gel strip and a scalpel, Milo delicately removed the drawing from its larger paper frame. As I observed, Milo told me about the gel’s ingredients in Italian, and upon hearing my layman’s translation of “special sauce,” he smiled and confirmed it. The drawing I witnessed was a page from the Codex Atlanticus, a 1,119-page collection of Da Vinci’s engineering designs and technological visions. It is considered the largest collection of Da Vinci’s works in the world.
Recently, an exhibition titled “Imagining the Future” featuring twelve original folios from the Codex Atlanticus opened at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. This marked the first time these pages have traveled to the United States, drawing significant attention due to Da Vinci’s universal name recognition.
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, despite housing an impressive collection of art and manuscripts, remains relatively unknown to the general public. With an annual visitor count of about 180,000, it pales in comparison to the Vatican Museums in Rome, which welcome that number weekly. The Ambrosiana was established in 1607 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo and named after St. Ambrose, the patron of Milan. Cardinal Borromeo bequeathed his own collection of books, manuscripts, and artworks to the institution.
Though the Ambrosiana’s painting collection is modest in size, it boasts masterpieces by revered artists such as Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, Bruegel, and Da Vinci himself. The museum also preserves unique artifacts, including a monumental study by Raphael, Napoleon’s gloves, and a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair. The library’s book and manuscript collection spans the globe, showcasing Borromeo’s cosmopolitan collecting sensibility. Unlike other libraries of the time, the Ambrosiana welcomed anyone who could read and write and did not chain books in place but threatened excommunication for theft.
Throughout the years, the Ambrosiana’s holdings have grown, notably with the acquisition of the Codex Atlanticus in 1637. Bound by Renaissance sculptor Pompeo Leoni into a massive volume, the Codex contains sketches, schematics, and Da Vinci’s unique mirror writing. Following Napoleon’s invasion of Italy, many prized artworks and manuscripts were plundered, including the Codex Atlanticus. Although efforts were made to return these treasures, only about half of what was lost to Napoleon’s looting was recovered. Fortunately, the Codex Atlanticus was successfully returned and has remained secured at the Ambrosiana.
In the 1960s, the Codex’s original volume was dismantled, and each of its 1,000-plus folios was reframed with modern paper supports, allowing both sides to be visible when necessary. However, in 2006, the discovery of black spots on the pages raised concerns of mold growth. After investigation, it was determined that mercury salts in the adhesive caused the spotting. To preserve the folios, they were detached from their old paper frames and given new ones. This process allowed for easier digitization and the ability to display individual sheets, resulting in exhibitions like the current one in Washington.
Back at the Ambrosiana, a rotating selection of a dozen Codex Atlanticus pages is always publicly displayed in climate-controlled and bulletproof display boxes. To prevent deterioration from natural light, folios can only be exhibited for three months before being rested. As Vito Milo continues his laborious conservation work, preserving one folio at a time, the intimacy of the connection to Da Vinci remains palpable, showcasing his erasures, mistakes, and personal notes.
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