Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Milan, Italy. Founded 1609.
- Type: Ecclesiastical
- City: Milan
- Country: Italy
- Founded: 1609
Overview
Cardinal Federico Borromeo endowed the Ambrosiana and opened it to all readers in 1609, one of the earliest libraries founded as public. It preserves the Codex Atlanticus, the biggest gathering of Leonardo da Vinci sheets, 1,119 leaves of drawings and writings. The attached Pinacoteca displays the Caravaggio basket of fruit, the earliest surviving Italian still life.
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