Poetic Commentary to an Allegory of a Woman by a Fire
Verso: lines of mirror-script with a small pen sketch of foliage at upper left
This is the verso of an allegorical sheet that the Biblioteca Reale catalogues as an allegory of a seated woman before a fire with flying butterflies, accompanied by a poetic commentary (ca. 1485-1487). This side carries several lines of Leonardo's right-to-left mirror-script together with a small pen-and-ink sketch of trees or foliage at the upper left. The writing is not transcribed in this edition, and further untranscribed text is present on the sheet.
On this page
Lines of mirror-script (poetic commentary)
Several lines of Leonardo's characteristic right-to-left mirror writing run across the centre and lower part of the sheet. Per the institution's catalogue the sheet bears a poetic commentary to its allegory. The text is not transcribed here.
Small pen sketch of trees on a bank
At the upper left is a small ink drawing of foliage and trees, apparently set on a bank beside water. It is much fainter and smaller than the surrounding script.