Quickstart

The API is open: no signup, no key, no SDK needed. Base URL:

https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1

Fetch a random page

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/random"

You get one complete manuscript page — scan URLs, Leonardo’s original Italian, and the full Reader’s Edition layer:

{
  "slug": "codex-flight-of-birds",
  "index": 6,
  "label": "c 03 recto",
  "folios": ["3|r"],
  "image": {
    "highRes": "https://codex.venivididavinci.com/codices/codex-flight-of-birds/highres/MsVaria95-c.03.recto.jpg"
  },
  "enrichment": {
    "title": "Mechanical Science, Balances, and the Centre of Gravity",
    "subjects": ["physics-and-mechanics", "machines-and-devices"],
    "summary": "The page opens with Leonardo's declaration that mechanical science is the most noble and useful of all…",
    "english": [{ "order": 1, "textEN": "Instrumental or mechanical science is most noble…" }]
  },
  "url": "https://venivididavinci.com/codex/codex-flight-of-birds/6",
  "attribution": "Reader's Edition — venivididavinci.com/codex/codex-flight-of-birds/6"
}

Browse a collection

List all 28 collections, then page through one:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/collections"
curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/collections/codex-flight-of-birds?limit=10"

Search the library

Full-text search over titles, summaries, and the English translations:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/search?q=flying+machine&limit=5"

Filter by subject or collection:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/search?q=wing&subject=flight&collection=codex-atlanticus"

Fetch a specific page

A folio is addressed exactly like its page on the website — venivididavinci.com/codex/{slug}/{index} ↔ /api/v1/folios/{slug}/{index}:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/folios/codex-atlanticus/1646"

Common recipes

Page of the day

GET /random with a subject filter, once a day:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/random?subject=anatomy"

Everything Leonardo wrote about water

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/subjects/hydraulics?limit=100"

Walk offset until you reach total. Each entry links to the full folio.

Download high-res scans for a collection

List the collection, fetch each folio, and read image.highRes:

curl "https://venivididavinci.com/api/v1/folios/paris-ms-b/80" | jq -r .image.highRes

Anonymous requests are limited to 60/hour per IP. If you’re building something real, get a key — it’s free.

Getting started

Concepts

Common recipes

​Common recipes

Common recipes