Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed, but he wrote and painted with both hands, according to new research from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence, Italy.
The Landscape (Paesaggio), inv. 8P, by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Dr. Cecilia Frosinini, art historian and conservator at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence, and her colleagues conducted an in-depth diagnostic survey of the Landscape, a drawing made by da Vinci in 1473.
Also known as 8P, the Landscape is the earliest known drawing by da Vinci and is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
“The drawing bears two inscriptions,” Dr. Frosinini and co-authors said.
“One is on the front side, written in the mirror by da Vinci from right to left:
‘Dì di s[an]ta Maria della neve / addj 5 daghossto 1473,’
and the other on the back, ordinarily written from left to right:
‘Io, Morando d’Antoni, sono chontento,’
perhaps a note concerning a contract drafting.”
“A comparison between the two inscriptions provides the confirmation of da Vinci’s ambidexterity,” they said.
“First of all, they are both autograph inscriptions — as are the sketches of a head and a human figure on the back of the sheet — because they are written with the same ink he also used to draw most of the Landscape, this being the outcome borne out by an accurate calligraphic survey on the two inscriptions and many other autograph texts by da Vinci.”
The team analyzed the materials used by the artist and the typical features of his writing.
“The artist presumably used his left hand to write the front inscription in ‘mirror writing,’ while he used his right one to write the back inscription ordinarily,” the researchers said.
“Both forms of writing, while displaying a certain number of differences due to the use of different hands, share numerous key features that unquestionably display da Vinci’s unique style.”
