High-resolution Leonardo da Vinci. As never seen before | Backstage

A very complex, delicate but exhilarating work. Most of the reproductions of Leonardo's drawings are from about twenty years ago and, believe me when I say this, they are almost always far from the original, chromatically much more delicate and incredibly richer of details.

I have been working for a while with Leonardo3, with the collaboration of Hasselblad and Manfrotto, on high resolution reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings, Atlantic Code, The flight of Birds, and drawings from the Royal Library of Turin, one of which is the very famous Self-portrait. A very complex, delicate but exhilarating work. Most of the reproductions of Leonardo's drawings are from about twenty years ago and, believe me when I say this, they are almost always far from the original, chromatically much more delicate and incredibly richer of details.
The reason for this work is to make people aware of these masterpieces, otherwise inaccessible and to allow an in depth analysis even for remote studies.

How I worked

I have used different Hasselblad backs on "multishot" or "microstep" mode with very high resolutions of about 88Mpix in the single shot and higher in the composite shot. This is not just a pointless display of power; this choice, in fact, allows to catch every last detail. The lens is the 120mm macro, an extraordinary tool, able to support unbelievably high resolutions. The real sharpness, without any unsharp mask, is incredible and the capability to show every last shade is incomparable. Manfrotto, together with the supports, provided me with the IFF Repro Stand and the Photon Beard HMI lights.

Leonardo3

Leonardo3 is an innovative media company and research center whose mission is centered on the study and the popularization of cultural goods through innovative methods and technologies.