Da Vinci’s ‘Codex Atlanticus’ is Brought Back Together With New Online Archive
5June 9, 2026
A new online platform,Leonardotheka, was launched on Monday that, for the first time in over 400 years, reunites two historically essential collections of writings and drawings byLeonardo da Vincithat were originally separated hundreds of years ago by the Italian sculptor Pompeo Leoni. The online digital archive, which is the result of a ten-year long effort by the Royal Collection Trust in Windsor Castle, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan and the Biblioteca Leonardiana in Vinci, mergesCodex Atlanticus—the largest single set of da Vinci’s writings, well-preserved by the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana—with around 550 sheets of drawings by da Vinci that are part of the Royal Collection Trust.
These two separate collections were originally part of the same group of manuscripts, made by da Vinci between the mid-1470s and shortly before his death in 1519. The manuscripts were separated shortly afterwards by Leoni, who, after acquiring the archives from da Vinci’s final student, elected to divide the folios into two sections, cutting out and removing portions of pages to do so. Leoni determined a large portion of the documents covered specialized and empirical topics, while the rest of the manuscripts he categorized as artistic and figurative studies. This centuries-long separation of material has now finally been resolved.
Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus includes plans and drawings for many of his most famous inventions, including the “Archimedean screw,” a “perpetual wheel” and a bat-like flying machine. Leonardotheka’s tools allow users of the platform to browse data on the physical and material properties of the included documents; users can also read extensively about da Vinci’s writing and drawing techniques. The platform includes fifty confirmed page reconstructions, and it also affords visitors the opportunity to peruse select pages that have been digitally restored to reflect their original appearance.
“The model for Leonardotheka sets a compelling precedent for how cultural institutions can and must retain intellectual ownership of their digital endeavours, resisting the temptation to delegate such responsibilities to commercial platforms,” Roberto Ferrari, the Executive Director of Museo Galileo, said in a statement. “In an age of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence, this project reminds us that the true value of digital humanities lies in the willingness of scholarly institutions to assume direct responsibility for shaping the tools through which our shared heritage is explored and understood.”