Rare Renaissance Codex Santini to Auction at Il Ponte Milan

The Codex Santini, a rare 15th-century manuscript from the Urbino court of the Montefeltro and Della Rovere families, will be auctioned by Il Ponte auction house in Milan on February 27, 2024, as part of its Ancient and Artist Books session. Recognized as Italian cultural heritage in 2012, the codex celebrates the dynasty's hegemony in civil and military machines, featuring 136 drawings on parchment closely related to Leonardo da Vinci's studies. It is one of only three such manuscripts worldwide, with the others held by the British Museum, the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. The codex remained in the Ducal Library of Urbino until at least 1632, as per the last inventory by Francesco Scudacchi. It is exceptionally well-preserved, still in its original binding, unique among machine codices. The author is unknown, but experts link its scientific approach to engineering and mechanics to a circle of intellectuals including Taccola, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, and Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript is estimated at €380,000–450,000 and will be on public display at Palazzo Crivelli's Salone dei Cesari in Milan until February 25, 2024. Il Ponte celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.