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Having wandered some distance among gloomy rocks, I came to the entrance of a great cavern, the likes of which I had never seen. I stood for some time in front of it in astonishment. I bent over, resting my left hand on my knee, while shading my eyes with my right. I squinted, shifting first one way and then the other, to see whether I could ascertain anything inside, but this was hindered by the deep darkness within. After having remained there some time, two contrary emotions arose in me: fear and desire – fear of the threatening dark cavern, desire to see whether there were any marvellous thing within it.
LEONARDO DA VINCI
The politics of Leonardo scholarship are like any other politics except that so far no blood is shed.
SIR KENNETH CLARK
Signs form a language, but not the one you think you know.
ITALO CALVINO
It ain’t where ya from, it’s where ya at
PROLOGUE