Access to the library holdings and other material

The “Collection” of Da Vinci related material in possession of the Institution, is open for consultation to the public and scholars from all over the world.

Publications

The "Raccolta Vinciana" is the official biannual journal of the Ente Raccolta Vinciana, in which are presented the scientific findings regarding Leonardo, the Renaissance and the historical and cultural context in which Leonardo lived and worked. The aim is to present the latest studies and data on the knowledge of Leonardo. The volumes are further enriched by the complete bibliography of the works on Leonardo, published in the previous two years. The bibliography is edited by the Biblioteca Leonardiana in Vinci, with the collaboration of the Raccolta Vinciana and is a highly appreciated section of the journal that completes the publication.
There have been numerous publishing initiatives in the past years, starting from the important edition of De Luca Pacioli’s manuscript treatise Viribus Quantitatis, edited by Maria Garlaschi Peirani and supervised by Augusto Marinoni; an integration of Luca Beltrami’s collection of documents regarding the life of Leonardo da Vinci entitled Leonardo da Vinci. Documents and Contemporary Testimonies, edited by Edoardo Villata; also the English translation, by John Venerella, of Leonardo's manuscripts at the Institut de France; the edition (again, a first edition), of the fundamental text by Father Gattico of Santa Maria delle Grazie Descrizione succinta e vera delle cose spettanti alla chiesa e convento di Santa Maria delle Grazie, e di Santa Maria della Rosa e suo luogo, et altre loro aderenze in Milano dell’Ordine de’ Predicatori con due tavole in fine (a manuscript history of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie). Further editorial initiatives include: a collection of writings in memory of Augusto Marinoni and the partnership with the Musée du Louvre for the publication of the proceedings of a conference on Leonardo held in Paris in 2003, coinciding with the great exhibition of Leonardo's drawings and manuscripts.

Exhibitions

The latest exhibitions include: the important exhibition of 2007, Leonardo. From the Studies on Proportions to the Treatise on Painting, dedicated to the influence of Leonardo’s Treatise, in which a selection of Leonardo’s drawings from the Windsor Collection, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana  of Milan, the Galleria dell’Accademia in Venice as well as an extremely rare model of a horse from a private collection that were accompanied by a drawing by Verrocchio, 15th century manuscripts, original drawings and engravings by Antonio Canova, prints by Giuseppe Bossi and more still; the recent exhibition in 2013 and 2014,  Around Leonardo: Rarities from the Ente Raccolta Vinciana at the Sforza Castle, an exhibition of little known figurative materials of great value dedicated to the reproduction of works by Leonardo and the spreading of his iconography, using the antique holdings of the Institution. The “Collection” of material belonging to the institution is open for consultation by the public and scholars from around the world.