Cardiac anatomy in the ‘Dreyfus Madonna’ by Leonardo da Vinci

Abstract

Abstract Leonardo’s findings on the anatomy and physiology of the heart, preserved in his private sketches and notes, reveal a remarkable period of transition in the early history of cardiology. The object of this research is a ‘Dreyfus Madonna’. Through the programme Paint X, we moved 1 detail (blue marked) in the direction of the green arrow and we get an image of the heart with branches of the aortic arch. If we compare the image of the heart obtained by us with the anatomical sketch of Leonardo (RL 19073-74v; K/P 1 66v), we will see a sharp resemblance to the branches of the aortic arch.