The Galobart Books: Codex Madrid II
Leonardo - The Collector's Edition
It is always exciting when something comes from Galobart Books.
We hoped-hoped-hoped that what came would be the companion to the Madrid Codex I; afterall, who wouldn’t love another faithful reproduction of the Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts? We were not disappointed 🙂
As my father used to say, “A work of art and a joy forever.” Abso.
The book was shipped in a heavy-duty cardboard box, wrapped for protection, and arrived in perfect condition. The purple paper was a nice touch, very regal, semi-solemn.
So lovingly, carefully wrapped – as all tomes from the revered Signore should be.
Such splendor.
The Deluxe Limited Edition
As with the first volume, the Codex Madrid II also has its own elegant, fabric-bound hard case, sized to hold all the contents (bound Codex, prints, companion book) in one handsome package.
Sigh…such knowledge, such beauty…
Because the Codex Madrid II is a limited print run, each book has an assigned number, from 001 to 999 in the collector’s edition (ours is #314), with accompanying documentation.
While there is no way to tie the number to the book, it is a fun marketing detail 🙂
Cannot wait. CANNOT, I tell you!
What is also fun are the art prints of a few of Leonardo’s drawings from the Codex. The prints are suitable for framing and would look awesome mounted as a group!
“I spy with my little eye…” Oh, forget it, he wrote in “Mirror,” in Italian/Latin, I’ll never find his recipe for biscotti…
The companion book has expert commentary both on the Codex and the life/work of Leonardo. We always find the commentaries helpful, as Da Vinci wrote the Codex in his own unique “mirror writing,” writing right-to-left and with letters reversed, making it readable only when viewed in a mirror, and in Italian…so not all that accessible to us…
It is not an insult to call this “a bag of goodies.”
The Madrid Codex II (1490-1505)
The Madrid Codex II, also known as “Treatise on fortification, statics and geometry” and “Madrid Codex of Leonardo da Vinci,” is part of the Leonardo da Vinci manuscript collection, honorably and lovingly preserved in the National Library of Spain (“Biblioteca Nacional de España“) in Madrid.
Gawd that man was brilliant.
Galobart’s Codex Madrid II is:
- 316 pages in its original 215 x 145 mm ( 8.46 x 5.70 in.) format;
- Hand-bound with ribs on the spine using a vegan alternative to leather;
- Made using art paper with serrated edges just like the original; and
- An exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color, and size).
The Madrid Codex II has two differentiated parts, A and B.
Section A takes the form of a notebook, with layers of graphic elements, both verbal and representative. Its content moves between personal and scientific fields indiscriminately.
Scholars have noted that Section A sketches range across a great number of topics:
- topographical sketches;
- problems of nautical, architectural, and military engineering;
- geometry (especially his studies on the “squaring of the circle”),
- the flight of birds, and
- random notes of a personal nature (ie: a log of books in his collection, a list of his clothing, etc.).
Section B of the Codex II is the notebook that details the casting of the Sforza Horse, and was added at an unknown date.
Leonardo was hired as an engineer by the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, to cast the equestrian statue which Lodovico wanted to construct of his father, Francesco Sforza. The horse alone was to be over 23 feet high! To cast it, 100 tons of bronze would be required. No sculpture of this size had ever been attempted before. Ev-er.
Takes a lot of measurements and calculations to create a horse 23 feet high. Even if you’re Leonardo DiVinci.
For the next ten years or so, Da Vinci pondered and planned how to construct this ginormous great monument. His thoughts on the problem are clarified (to scholars, anyway) in the twenty-ish pages of the second Madrid notebook. Leonardo wrote down his thoughts, approaches, and possible issues related to casting such a large piece. His notes are virtually a treatise on casting and how one would go about solving those issues.
Ohhhh, that’s where that goes…
Final Thoughts
If you are not Bill Gates, this two-volume set is the closest to the originals most of us will ever come to holding them in our hands. This set is truly a “must-have” for any Da Vinci aficionado. Once you have them, you will treasure them as if they were the originals (trust us on this).
In some sense, the two-volume set is BETTER than the original because you can actually flip though the pages…we did, and we didn’t even have to wear special gloves!
If you have both Codex I and II, there’s a lot less fighting about who gets it and how long they get to look through it (or “peruse,” if you’re feeling hoity-toity).
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