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THE IMPORTANCE OF A PROJECT TO ENHANCE THE WATERMARKS OF THE CODEX ATLANTICUS BY LEONARDO DA VINCI
Abstract
The watermark - as an inseparable element of antique paper and first form of proto-industrial logo - by virtue of its own meta-data repertoire regarding paper support since the 20th century, plays a fundamental role in heuristic investigation, imposing watermark studies among the auxiliary disciplines of history. Their study offered important information about the place and date of the production of a paper document with a low margin of error. This has led to an increasing use in the art history sector, in particular when there is a need for extra information regarding a document or drawing that is of dubious or missing dating. Up till now, there does not exist a watermark database of Leonardo's papers, nor has there ever been a diagnostic investigation on the subject in reference to the Codex Atlanticus in Milan, whose watermarks, whilst being mentioned sporadically in critical transcriptions, have never before been graphically revealed. This lack offers an interesting occasion for the contribution of new knowledge in this “black box-area” of Leonardo’s studies, aligning the research with a positive tendency that, in recent years, has seen a consistent increase in international initiatives aimed at enhancing the watermark archival cultural heritage, promoting not only the digitization of the oldest papers repertoires (C.M. Briquet or G. Piccard collections), but also creating new ones from scratch inside museums, research institutes and university centres. The research aims to analyze the relationship between watermarks and Leonardo’s codeces, mainly in the Codex Atlanticus, in order to collect a body of information about the manuscripts, including the structure of their papers and, in terms of extensibility and connection with other watermark digital archives.
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