Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1890

Trattato della pittura di Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci · 1890

An Italian edition of Leonardo's treatise on painting, edited from the Vatican manuscript, prefaced by Vasari's life of the artist.

This is Leonardo's own treatise on painting, compiled and printed from his manuscripts to preserve his original ideas.

Ask Leonardo da Vinci about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Internet Archive)

About this source

What it is

This is a printed Italian edition, published in 1890, of Leonardo da Vinci's treatise on painting. It was prepared from the Vatican manuscript (Codex Urbinate) and includes a preface by Marco Tabarrini, Giorgio Vasari's biography of Leonardo, and notes by Gaetano Milanesi.

Why it matters

The treatise collects Leonardo's own thoughts on painting, gathered from his notebooks after his death. It shows how later scholars, editors and publishers worked to preserve and organise his scattered writings so they could be studied by generations of artists and historians.

Look closer

  • Why do you think it took centuries for Leonardo's writings on painting to be properly published?
  • What does it mean that this book is an edited compilation rather than a single original manuscript?
  • How might reading Leonardo's own words change your idea of him compared to looking only at his paintings?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leonardo da Vinci on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Leonardo da Vinci sources

Meet the AI Leonardo da Vinci →
Painting of a woman with long dark hair and a subtle smile, seated with her hands folded on an armrest, in front of a hazy landscape with winding paths, a river, and mountains.Painting

Primary source

Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1503-1519

Black and white line engraving of a bearded man in a dark brimmed cap and dark cloak, turned three-quarters to the left. Below the image is the printed title LEONARDO DA VINCI, with small inscriptions in the margins.Painting

Secondary source

Leonardo da Vinci portrait line engraving by Raphael Morghen

R. Morghen

Scan of a page from a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript notebook: mirror-writing handwritten notes in brown ink, a geometric diagram of a triangle and rectangle at top, and a sketch of a catapult or siege engine with a flame at lower right.Book

Primary source

Manuscript Notebook MS B

Leonardo da Vinci

Mural painting of the Last Supper showing Jesus seated at the center of a long table with twelve disciples in groups of three on either side, with bread and dishes on the table. Coffered ceiling and windows visible in the room.Painting

Primary source

The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1495-1498

Lantern slide of a Leonardo da Vinci architectural study sheet. Labels read 'VINCI (Leonardo da) (1452-1519)', 'Etude d'architecture', 'Dessin', and 'B 5989'. The drawing shows a domed church sketch, a semicircular plan, a rectangular church floor plan with columns, workers hauling a block with a cart, and a seated figure.Painting

Primary source

Architectural Studies

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1500

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Leonardo da Vinci now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions