Customer Reviews

Codex Huygens and Leonardo Da Vinci's Art Theory

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This book is the only book of its kind, and the photographs of the Codex itself are of the same caliber. Though some of the scholarship has since been corrected by Pedretti, it remains unrivaled in terms of its academic quality. The book records otherwise lost documents of Leonardo's notations on movement, proportions, and perspective-the likes of which scholars still have yet to accurately write upon. The thorough quality of the work is evident, for example, in Panofsky's translations of Figino's notes in the lower margins, which are, for the most part, on every figure and every folio, very faithfully executed with precise contextual knowledge (especially on Leonardo's perspective theories). No liberties are taken.
What remains an undeniable mark against this book despite its greatness, is that the Codex is not represented in its entirety. There are many plates that were not included, that (judging from the descriptions of the missing folios) are needed to gain a greater understanding of the theories that the manuscript contains. If this manuscript had been reproduced (unedited) since the efforts of Panofsky and the Warburg Institute in 1940, such shortcomings could easily be disregarded in such a review. However, since this record remains a most unique work, it must be noted. Yet I suppose that judgments should be directed toward the stagnation of recent scholarship on such subjects, as well as the complacency of our modern scholars.
If you can afford the book, it is worth its weight in gold. If not, then steal it from your Universities' library--really, just run out with it--most "librarians" at Universities are just self-conscious undergrads, and don't want to look stupid chasing you.