Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works Of Nature And Man

‘The human race in its marvellous and varied works seems to reveal itself as a second nature in this world.’ (B.L.151v) PRAISE FOR MARTIN KEMP’S LEONARDO ‘Leonardo seen from the inside out’ The New Yorker ‘Excellent’ Sunday Telegraph ‘orchestrates the available information effortlessly . . . [a] magisterial text’ Lisa Jardine, Guardian ‘Illuminating’ Peter Ackroyd, The Times ‘A succinct introduction . . . by one of the world’s foremost authorities’ Independent ‘filled with fresh thought . . . Kemp has succeeded at something that is possible only after years of reflection’ Los Angeles Times ‘Excites the reader’s admiration for the restless vitality of the man and his ideas . . .’ Washington Post Book World The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man M A RT I N K E M P 1 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Martin Kemp, 2006 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci : the marvellous works of nature and man / Martin Kemp.-- Revd. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN–13: 978–0–19–280725–0 (alk. paper) ISBN–10: 0–19–280725–0 (alk. paper) 1. Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452–1519––Criticism and interpretation. I. Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452–1519. II. Title. N6923.L33K45 2006 709.2--dc22 2005034752 Typeset by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk Printed and bound by Lito Terrazzi s.r.l. Italy ISBN 0–19–280725–0 978–0–19–280725–0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents list of plates list of colour plates list of figures preface to the 1981 edition preface to this edition acknowledgements, 1981 and 2006 abbreviations and references I II III IV V ‘Leonardo da Firenze’ The Microcosm The Exercise of Fantasia The Republic: New Battles and Old Problems The Prime Mover bibliography index photographic acknowledgements vii xii xiii xvii xx xxv xxviii 1 71 137 204 271 349 367 382 This revised edition is dedicated to Gheri Sackler. List of Plates All the illustrated works are by Leonardo unless otherwise indicated. 1 Giotto, Christ before the High Priest (c. 1305), Padua, Arena Chapel (Capella Scrovegni) 2 Masaccio, The Trinity with the Virgin, St John and Donors (c. 1426–7), Florence, S. Maria Novella 3 Antonio Pollaiuolo, Battle of the Nude Men (c. 1475?), engraving, London, British Museum 4 Verrocchio (and workshop?), Madonna and Child in Front of a Ruined Basilica (The ‘R