Forster Codices Facsimile Edition

The Forster Codices comprise three manuscripts, each very different in terms of topic and dating. Initially owned by Francesco Melzi, they later passed to Pompeo Leoni, reaching Venice at some unspecified time. During the 1800s they were acquired by Earl Edward George Lytton, and upon his death were inherited by John Forster (1873), who in turn left them to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1876.

The subjects treated in the codices are quite varied, ranging from important studies on mathematics and geometry and research on hydraulic machinery to annotations on physics and the study of grammar. They also contain reflections of a different nature: cosmological themes, allusions to fables and witticisms, moral pronouncements, autobiographical information (the expenses for the burial of Caterina), numerous sketches of horses for the never-completed equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza, urbanistic studies for Milan and drawings of the floor plan of the Cathedral in Milan.

Stunningly beautiful and very interesting are the designs for the masked festivals related to his period at the court of Ludovico il Moro, where Leonardo was the artist and eclectic genius capable of fulfilling the requests of the entire palace.