Bestiary
Animal Fables and Moral Symbolism
The oyster — for treachery. This is thrown from the shell by the sea when the moon is full, and the crab seeing it cannot close it again, and so it serves for food to that crab.
— Leonardo da Vinci, §1225
Overview
Leonardo's bestiary entries belong to a medieval literary tradition — short descriptions of animals linked to moral or allegorical meanings. These entries were compiled in MS. H around 1494, likely drawn from popular bestiaries such as those of Pliny and Isidore of Seville, and adapted into Leonardo's own compressed, poetic style.
Each animal represents a human quality: the eagle stands for magnanimity, the pelican for piety, the basilisk for cruelty, the oyster for treachery. Unlike his scientific observations of animal behavior elsewhere, these entries are literary — they draw on tradition, not dissection. But Leonardo's touch is unmistakable: the entries are precise, vivid, and often darkly funny.
Of Magnanimity
The Eagle
1216. The eagle never gives battle except to that which is greater than itself, which shows its magnanimity.
MS. H 5 r
Of Gratitude
The Pigeon
1223. The pigeon is a symbol of ingratitude; for when it is old enough no longer to need feeding, it begins to fight with its father, and this combat does not end until the young one drives the father out and takes his wife, making her his own.
MS. H 12 v
Of Cruelty
The Basilisk
1228. The basilisk is so utterly cruel that when it cannot kill animals by its baleful gaze, it turns upon herbs and plants, and fixing its gaze on them withers them up.
MS. H 17 r
Of Piety
The Pelican
1234. The pelican has great love for its young, and when it finds them in the nest killed by the serpent it pierces itself to the heart, and bathing them in a shower of blood it recalls them to life.
MS. H 22 r
The bestiary is the one place where Leonardo sounds like a medieval writer rather than a modern scientist. He's copying and adapting from traditional sources. But even here, he can't help himself — he edits, sharpens, adds his own observations. And some entries blur the line between fable and zoology. He's drawn to the form because it combines narrative, morality, and natural description — all the things he cared about. -D