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PUBLICATION

Leonardo da Vinci:
The Mechanics of Man

Leonardo's manuscript on human dissection

Martin Clayton and Ron Philo

160 pages

Winner of the British Book Design and Production Awards

 

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man jacket©

Hardback, 310 x 215 mm, 93 colour illustrations 
ISBN 978 1 905686 83 4

Complex Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Polish rights sold

Leonardo da Vinci was not only one of the leading artists of the Renaissance—he was also one of the greatest anatomists ever to have lived. He combined, to a unique degree, manual skill in dissection, analytical skill in understanding the structures he uncovered, and artistic skill in recording his results. Leonardo’s campaign of human dissection during the winter of 1510–11, concentrating on the muscles and bones, was recorded on the pages of a manuscript now in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. These are arguably the finest anatomical drawings ever made.

This book reproduces the entire manuscript, and for the first time translates all of Leonardo’s copious notes ‘on the page’ so that the unfolding of his thought may readily be followed.

Martin Clayton is Head of Prints and Drawings, Royal Collection Trust. He has published extensively on the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

Ron Philo was Senior Lecturer in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and is now retired.

RELATED EXHIBITION
Leonardo da Vinci
Using the latest medical technology to explore Leonardo's anatomical research

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The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.