Leonardo Da Vinci: 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (Taschen 25th Anniversary) [Hardcover]

Frank Zollner (Author), Johannes Nathan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007 | Series: Taschen 25th Anniversary

TASCHEN's 25th anniversary - Special edition! Special bestseller price Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) possessed one of the greatest minds of all time; his importance and influence are inestimable. This XXL-format comprehensive survey is the most complete book ever made on the subject of this Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist and all-around genius. With huge, full-bleed details of Leonardo's masterworks, this highly original publication allows the reader to inspect the subtlest facets of his brushstrokes. * Part I explores Leonardo's life and work in ten chapters. All of his paintings are interpreted in depth, with The Annunciation and The Last Supper featured on large double-spreads. * Part II comprises a catalogue raisonn? of Leonardo's paintings, which covers all of his surviving and lost painted works and includes texts describing their states of preservation. * Part III contains an extensive catalogue of his drawings (numbering in the thousands, they cannot all be reproduced in one book); 663 are presented, arranged by category (architecture, technical, anatomical, figures, proportion, cartography, etc). This sumptuous TASCHEN offering is the most thorough and beautifully produced Leonardo book ever published, and this special edition offers it for a third of the usual price.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Opening this lavishly illustrated book is one of sumptuous celebration of the visual aspects of Leonardo's oeuvre."

About the Author

Professor Frank Zollner wrote his doctoral theses on artistic and architectural theory (1987) and Leonardo da Vinci (1996). He has written numerous publications on the art and artistic theory of the Renaissance and on Paul Klee. Since 1996 he has been Professor of Renaissance and Modern Art at Leipzig University. Johannes Nathan studied art history at New York University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1995 with a dissertation on the working methods of Leonardo da Vinci. He has taught at New York University and at the University of Berne, Switzerland, and is the author of a range of publications on the art of the Italian Renaissance.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 695 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; 25th edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822838276
• ISBN-13: 978-3822838273
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 2.5 x 15.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leonardo's Opus is a Taschen Masterpiece, October 13, 2008

By 

T. Mario - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci: 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (Taschen 25th Anniversary) (Hardcover)

Taschen seems to be forging ahead in the publishing world with their off-beat, sometimes extreme, always interesting and esoteric attractively priced books. Leonardo is one of them. A large book, this is no bedside table read. The print quality is very good, and the larger than life pictures of Leonardo's paintings and drawings give you a real sense of the intricacy that went into his work, and lets you get a lot closer than you could today to his work if you wanted to see it live. The Mona Lisa is behind bullet proof glass, most of his notebooks in temperature controlled libraries far from prying hands and eyes.. so if you really want to get close, to see the brush-strokes and minute scrawls in his ink drawings, then this book is it.
For who is it? Anyone interested in beauty, in art and painting, as well as anyone interested in genius and the multifaceted Renaissance man. You'll need a sturdy coffee table or a large library to house it, but you won't be sorry you bought it.
I only gave it 4 stars because I really dislike the 25th anniversary badge that is going on all Taschen books of late.. Good for you that you've reached that milestone Taschen, but don't expect me to want to advertise it in my bookshelf. The book comes in a slip-case, and just as well because the Amazon.com packaging was really atrocious and the box arrived quite banged around. Their cost-cutting in packaging means that my slip case is totally destroyed on the top, but thankfully the book has managed to survive (mostly) unscathed. Amazon will be getting a stern letter from me about this..

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple but sophistocated, August 18, 2000

By 

James N. Welch (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519 (Basic Art) (Paperback)

If you don't know much about art but know what you like, this might be the sort of book for you. Leonardo's life is described in this basic biography, focusing on his famous works of art (finished and unfinished) and on his supporting works as well (sketches, architectural and mechanical ideas). The book is printed on glossy high grade magazine paper with color illustrations on almost every page. It brings the artist and his works to the reader in a presentation that caters to those who enjoy have an appriciation, though not an expertise, for art.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great images, good history, February 8, 2008

By 

bluezoo7 "BZ7" (Jupiter) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci: 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (Taschen 25th Anniversary) (Hardcover)

After a recent trip to Italy I scoured the museums there for some good books on the famous paintings I had just seen. All were much too expensive, given the value of the Euro versus the dollar. So I made a list of the books I liked and vowed to purchase them on Amazon when I returned home. This was one of those purchases.

The book is big (over a foot long, three thumbs thick) and heavy. You won't be taking this to the park to read. Great for a coffee table. There are a good mix of close-ups and detailed shots of Da Vinci's work. The text includes some good history of the works (why they were commissioned, some info about the subjects, etc.). It also showcases some of Leonardo's student's work, which they more or less copied from their teacher.

The book does include some detail about the work themselves and how the time in history impacted the works. My only regret (and why I didn't give it five stars) is that the book doesn't include more text about the details of the works themselves, ala "Da Vinci Code". For example, I'd love more explanation of the symmetry between certain figures or other curious features of Leonardo's work (why is that angelic figure holding its hand like a knife where John the Baptist's head should be in "Madonna of the Rocks"?)

Overall, worth the money for those that enjoy contemplating the works of this Master.