Cluster 13: The Great Scrambling (1519–Present)

After Leonardo's death, his archives were organized by Melzi but later dispersed through sales. Major codices were lost for centuries, with the Madrid Codices only rediscovered in 1966.

The "Leonardeschi" (Boltraffio, Luini) maintained the brand, creating works so similar that 21st-century attributions remain contentious. Recent research suggests Leonardo only contributed 5–20% to the final Salvator Mundi.

Melzi inheritance records; Cook Collection Catalogue (1900 attribution to Luini).

Trace the movement of missing pages from the Codex Atlanticus through 17th-century European auctions.

Rediscovery of Madrid I/II provided the keys to his work in tribology and metallurgy.

Dispersal of sheets; commonality of mixed authorship; Total page count of lost notebook sheets.