Leonardo da Vinci signature
Small angular cursive forms run across a long, slender name line.
What does Leonardo da Vinci’s signature look like?
Small angular cursive forms run across a long, slender name line. An open upper loop interrupts the early part of the writing, while most later letters stay close to the same low band. Look at the slight word separations and alternating upright strokes: the specimen’s length comes from the written name rather than a wide enclosing flourish.
- Slant
- +21°forward
- Baseline
- +1.1°near level
- Width / height
- 6.47 : 1overall proportions
- Opening height
- 1.29×opening versus body letters
About Leonardo da Vinci and this autograph
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) was an Italian Renaissance polymath. This specimen is the Wikimedia Commons vector rendering of Leonardo da Vinci’s signature.
Leonardo da Vinci signature and handwriting analysis
Leonardo da Vinci’s signature sample has 21° of forward slant, a near-level baseline and 12 enclosed loops. Comparing autograph strokes, baseline angle (+1.1°), slant (+21°), opening ratio (1.29×) and enclosed loops (12) reveals how individual signature traits contrast with standard handwriting features. Use the layers to follow the writing line, letter band, slant and enclosed loops.
- Slantforward
- +21°
- Baselinenear level
- +1.1°
- Width / heightoverall proportions
- 6.47 : 1
- Opening heightopening versus body letters
- 1.29×
- Enclosed loopsclosed spaces in the image
- 12
- Ink groupsmain disconnected groups
- 9
- Ink densityinside the signature bounds
- 16.0%
- Underlineno long lower flourish
- None
- Finish heightrelative to the letter body
- +1.03×
Opening, letter body and finish
The opening stays near the height of the body letters. The opening-to-body ratio is 1.29×, while the whole image is 6.47 times as wide as it is tall. The rightmost ink finishes above the writing line; look at this ending separately from the slant of the letters themselves.
Loops and the lower flourish
The sample contains 12 enclosed loops and 9 main ink groups. The letterforms carry the main horizontal movement; there is no long lower underline detected beneath their band.
All 11 measured signature features
Slant
+21°Angle of the letter strokes from vertical. Positive angles lean right; negative angles lean left.
The signature has a forward slant (+21°). The blue-green guides show the lean of strokes across the name.
Baseline
+1.1°Direction of the writing line from the beginning to the end of the signature.
The writing line stays nearly level (+1.1°). The red guide follows the base of the letters, separate from lower loops and flourishes.
Opening capital
1.3×Height of the opening letter relative to the typical letters that follow. 1× means similar heights.
The opening stands 1.3 times as high as the following letters. The purple box marks its area; the dashed blue guide marks the letter-body band.
Enclosed loops
12Closed spaces surrounded by ink, counted across the whole signature.
There are 12 enclosed loops in the sample. Orange outlines locate them. Compare their size and placement within the name.
Ink groups
9Separate connected areas of ink in the image. Dots or detached letters can form additional groups.
The signature contains 9 main ink groups. The visible ink is divided into separate shapes. Look at where those shapes join or separate.
Ink density
16%Share of the signature’s enclosing rectangle occupied by ink.
Ink covers 16% of the measured signature area; the rest is open space. Compare the open areas with the thickness of the visible strokes.
Underline / flourish
NoneLength of a lower underline or flourish compared with the full signature width.
No long lower underline is detected. The name is carried by the letterforms and their own lower strokes.
Finish height
+1.0×Height of the rightmost ending above or below the baseline, in typical letter heights. Positive is above; negative is below.
The ending sits high above the writing line (+1.0 letter heights). The orange guide locates the finish relative to the red baseline.
Width / height
6.5 : 1Full ink width divided by full ink height, including the signature’s tall and low strokes.
The shape is 6.5 times as wide as it is high. Its ink spans 1799 × 277 image pixels. Compare the horizontal spread with the vertical reach of the capitals and loops.
Ornamentation
3.4×Total traced stroke length divided by signature width. More turns and retraced shapes add length.
The traced strokes total 6,137 pixels, about 3.4 times the signature’s width. Look for loops, turns and flourishes that add movement within that width.
Angularity
4.0Number of corners per 100 pixels of traced ink outline. Higher values indicate more frequent sharp turns.
The outline contains about 4.0 corners per 100 pixels. Inspect the turns in the pen-path layer and compare pointed changes of direction with rounded curves.
Signatures with similar shapes
Compare these samples’ slant, proportions and letter rhythm with Leonardo da Vinci’s autograph.
