Leonardo da Vinci's 'to do' list found

A previously unseen page from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks shows that even geniuses have to write down to-do lists.
Naturally, the tasks on the painter, sculptor and scientist's list are a little less ordinary than walking the dog or picking up the dry cleaning.
In the list, written around 1510, Leonardo reminds himself to obtain a skull, to get his books on anatomy bound, to observe the holes in the substance of the brain and describe the jaw of a crocodile.

Painstaking: For Leonardo da Vinci, packing in 1510, it was vital that he didn't leave home without a human skull or a scalpel as this bizarre 'to-do' list shows

Brilliant: Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance and was also a pioneering scientist. This engraving was created in the 19th century from a da Vinci self portrait

Dissection tools (detail from reverse of Leonardo's notebook page), from Leonardo da Vinci's notebook

More practically, the artist also reminds himself to buy chalk, charcoal and paper.
The list will go on display as part of an exhibition of more than 80 pages from his notebooks at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from May 4.
Exhibition curator Martin Clayton said: ‘Like anyone about to undertake a journey, Leonardo is making a list of things to take with him.
'Alongside everyday items such as shirts, stockings and a towel, he lists his anatomical tools such as forceps, a scalpel and a bone-saw.


‘Soon afterwards we know that he was dissecting corpses in the medical school of the university of Pavia, to the south of Milan, and so this packing list may have been drawn up before a journey to Pavia.
'This page is fascinating - Leonardo often covered the pages of his notebooks with observations about anatomy, but this page gives a really personal insight into Leonardo himself.’
Leonardo is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance and was also a pioneering scientist.
The papers were probably bought by King Charles II and have been in the Royal Collection since around 1690.

A Da Vinci drawing forom 1511 of drawings of muscles of the shoulder and arm, and the bones of the foot

Portrait of Leonardo attributed to Francesco Melzi, which will go on display as part of an exhibition of more than 80 pages from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks

A skull sectioned by Leonardo da Vinci, which will go on display as part of an exhibition of more than 80 pages from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks

Page from Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, including his 'to do' list