lustrations of this supposed journey to the Orient as what they really were, namely, phantastic productions of the youthful artist which he created for his own amusement, and in which he probably brought to expression his wishes to see the world and experience adventures.
A phantastic formation is probably also the “Academia Vinciana,” the acceptance of which is due to the existence of five or six most clever and intricate emblems with the inscription of the Academy. Vasari mentions these drawings but not the Academy.[1] Müntz who placed such ornament on the cover of his big work on Leonardo belongs to the few who believe in the reality of an “Academia Vinciana.”
It is probable that this impulse to play disappeared in Leonardo's maturer years, that it became discharged in the investigating activity
- ↑ Besides, he lost some time in that he even made a drawing of a braided cord in which one could follow the thread from one end to the other, until it formed a perfectly circular figure; a very difficult and beautiful drawing of this kind is engraved on copper, in the center of it one can read the words: “Leonardus Vinci Academia” (p. 8).
