The National Library of Wales
Leonardo da Vinci visits The National Library
Thu, 09 Oct 08 10:02:00
A special exhibition of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, never before seen in Wales, will open this autumn at The National Library of Wales. Ten drawings by the Italian renaissance artist have been loaned from the Royal Collection as part of the 60th birthday celebrations of HRH The Prince of Wales. The exhibition will be held at The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, from 8 November until 7 February 2009.
The Library is one of only 4 galleries in the UK to host the exhibition, and the only location in Wales. A similar touring exhibition drew over 82,000 visitors in Leeds in 2006.
The 10 Leonardo drawings showcased have been selected from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. The Royal Collection has been shaped by the personal tastes of kings and queens over the last 500 years. The collection includes paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, silver, armour, jewellery, books, prints, manuscripts, photographs, and one of the world’s finest collections of old master drawings, all of which are held in trust by The Queen as Sovereign for her successors and the nation.
Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, and became famous for his work as a sculptor, painter, architect and engineer. But few of his contemporaries were aware of his scientific researches: he wrote copious notes and intended to publish several treatises, but, like many of his artistic projects, these were never finished. Many of Leonardo’s achievements are therefore known only through his drawings, and this exhibition presents ten of Leonardo’s finest studies.
The drawings on loan to The National Library include studies for painting, sculpture and architecture. Among the drawings are a beautiful portrait of a young woman and a caricature of a grotesque old man; two exquisite studies of a dissected human skull and two of plants; a drawing of an arsenal; a highly accurate map of the river Arno, surveyed by Leonardo himself; an apocalyptic image of a deluge; and, very apt for Wales a design for a dragon costume.
The drawings, first documented in the Royal Collection in 1690, are thought to have been acquired during the reign of Charles II (1660-1685). The potential for damage caused by light means that the works cannot be exhibited continually. But following a programme of conservation beginning in the 1970s, selections of Leonardo’s drawings from the Royal Collection have now been seen by millions of people in exhibitions held around the world.
According to Andrew Green, The National Librarian, “I am delighted that The National Library of Wales has been chosen as one of the venues for this important exhibition from the Royal Collection. The exhibition will provide an opportunity for the people of Wales and visitors from further afield to enjoy a range of magnificent drawings from one of the world’s great artists.”
8 November 2008 – 7 February 2009
Ten drawings by Leonardo da Vinci: An exhibition to Celebrate the Sixtieth Birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales
Free Entry
The National Library of Wales
Aberystwyth
SY23 3BU
Opening Times
Monday – Saturday 10.00-17.00
Closed Sundays and Public Holidays
Christmas Break – Please see the Library website for details
Press Office
Medi Jones-Jackson
01970 632 534
