Leonardo da Vinci’s Comprehensive Archive of Sketches and Texts Completely Digitized

Leonardo da Vinci, frequently regarded as the archetypal “Renaissance man,” showcased remarkable adaptability across various fields, particularly illustrated by his extensive compilation of notebooks. Among these, the *Codex Atlanticus* is recognized as the largest, encompassing over 1,000 pages and summarizing more than 40 years of da Vinci’s intellectual endeavors. It includes a wide range of topics such as engineering, anatomy, weaponry, music, mathematics, botany, and even aviation.

This extraordinary collection was assembled in the late 16th century by the Milanese sculptor Pompeo Leoni, who categorized da Vinci’s various writings and illustrations into two main volumes. The first volume concentrated on technical and scientific matters, while the second volume dealt with anatomical and artistic subjects. In the end, the *Codex Atlanticus* materialized as a 12-volume anthology, which has been housed in Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana since 1637.

In honor of the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death, the Visual Agency, in partnership with Biblioteca Ambrosiana and Mondadori Portfolio, initiated a project in 2019 to digitize the entire codex. The goal was to use data visualization methods to create a user-friendly and interactive database that would highlight the extent of da Vinci’s brilliance and encourage a more profound comprehension of his work. This digital tool enables users to navigate the codex by subject, chronological arrangement, or even the prevalence of topics, effectively converting the intricate data into an understandable format.

Since its inception, the online database of the *Codex Atlanticus* has received considerable interest, attracting over 150,000 distinct visits and winning several international accolades, including the Webby Award and the Information is Beautiful Award. This digital repository continues to be an essential resource for scholars, historians, and aficionados around the globe, offering insights into the expansive creative and intellectual heritage of Leonardo da Vinci. To explore the resource, one can visit the [Codex Atlanticus website](https://codex-atlanticus.ambrosiana.it/#/Overview).