This Day in History: Da Vinci
Notebook Sells for Over $5 Million.
December 12, 1980.
The American oil tycoon
Armand Hammer paid
$5,126,000 for the notebook.
At the time, the amount
was the highest ever paid
for a manuscript at auction.
The 72 page manuscript included a number
of drawings and close to 300 notes written
by Renaissance artist, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Known as the Leicester Codex,
the notebook was likely written in
1508. It is one of close to 30 known
notebooks that Da Vinci kept during his life.
Da Vinci experts believe
the artist incorporated material
from the Leicester Codex while
painting the background of the Mona Lisa.
At Christie's auction house,
bidding for the manuscript
lasted less than 2 minutes. Hammer
stated that "I expected to pay more."