Leonardo Da Vinci's right-to-left "mirrored" writing revisited

Abstract

Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical drawings continue to attract the attention of the medical community. One of the intriguing aspects of these drawings is Da Vinci's use of right-to-left mirrored writing. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain his mirrored writing. This article presents a new explanation that takes into consideration the drawing material used and Da Vinci's known innovative ability. A collection of his anatomical drawings is currently on display in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts.