Acknowledgments
First of all, I would like to thank the editors for giving me the opportunity to publish my work, and the reviewers for their careful reading of this manuscript and their valuable comments.
My deepest gratitude to Professor Carlo Vecce who has been guiding me with his inspiring vision and dedication in the study of Leonardoâs leaves. Heartfelt thanks also to Professor Luca Marcozzi and Professor Manfredi Merluzzi for their thoughtful advice and encouragement. I am extremely grateful to my Ph.D. Professors Andrea Baldi, Paola Gambarota, Alessandro Vettori, David Marsh, Rhiannon Noel Welch, Laura S. White, and Carmela Scala, who have been supportive in more ways they can imagine.
I also would like to thank the many scholars I have met who helped me to delve into Leonardoâs studies and deepen my research. Professor Pietro C. Marani, President of the Ente Raccolta Vinciana, for the collaboration at the Codex Atlanticus exhibition in 2013; Professor Leonard Barkan, for the brilliant word and image incursions that shaped my thinking deeply; Professors Paolo Galluzzi and Daniel Garber, who guided me into the exploration of mechanical issues. Warm thanks to Professor Carmen Bambach, Dr Martin Clayton, Dr Claudio Giorgione, and Dr Elena Fontana for their precious insights, and for granting me permission to closely look at Leonardoâs works. I owe a big debt to Professors Francesco Spera and Guglielmo Barucci, with whom my research began, and to Professors Sarah Blake McHam, Frank Fehrenbach, Francesca Fiorani, Fabio Frosini and Alessandro Nova. I also sincerely thank Professors Roberto Leporatti and Francesca Serra at the Université de Genève; Professor Henry Turner and the Rutgers CCA Arts&Aesthetics team; Dr Angelica Federici and all the colleagues at the Roma Tre DH Lab. For the fruitful discussions and tips, I would like to mention Professors Rudy Bell (d. 2022), Andrea Bernardoni, Steffen Bogen, Marco Cursi, Laura Giles, Maria Teresa Girardi, Simone Marchesi, Constance Moffatt, Gianfranco Petrella, Catherine Puglisi, Anna Sconza, Sara Taglialagamba, Marco Versiero, Frank Zöllner, and Dr Nicola Ceriani for his key suggestions on mechanical organisms.
Special thanks to all those who have warmly welcomed me in New Jersey, New York, Glasgow, London, and Genève, to my friends and family, for being with me every step of the way with their sound creativity and affection, Carlo, and Ilaria Annunciata, to whom I dedicate this work.