Codex Trivulzianus
The Self-Educated Man — Leonardo's Earliest Surviving Notebook
Overview
The Codex Trivulzianus is one of Leonardo's earliest surviving notebooks, dating from his first years in Milan. Named after the Trivulzio family who acquired it, this manuscript provides a remarkable window into Leonardo's self-education — his determined effort to master Latin and expand his vocabulary as a self-described "omo sanza lettere" (man without letters).
Contents
The notebook is dominated by extensive lists of Latin and Italian vocabulary, revealing Leonardo's systematic effort to educate himself. He was largely self-taught, having received only a basic education in Vinci, and these word lists show him methodically expanding his intellectual vocabulary.
In addition to the linguistic studies, the codex contains:
- Studies of military architecture and fortifications
- Studies of religious architecture — cathedral designs
- Reflections on language and grammar
- Early architectural drawings
Historical Significance
This codex was formerly in the Ambrosian Library as one of the Arconati bequest. It was removed — as the description shows, it is identical with the manuscript that around 1750 was bought from a certain Gaetano Caccia of Novara by Carlo Trivulzio. It is now in the possession of the Trivulzio collection at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
It was published in facsimile with a transcript by Signor Beltrami (Milan, 1892).