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An enormous collection of writings and drawings by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci will go on public display for the first time in September, organizers said Monday.

The Codex Atlanticus contains a vast array of his work, from studies of bird flight to sketches of complex machinery.

The 1,119 pages of the collection, made between 1478 and 1518 and housed in 12 volumes, will be displayed in the northern Italian city of Milan in 24 separate exhibitions.

Fifty pages will be displayed at each exhibition for three months, with the first display on September 10, and the final exhbition not taking place until 2015.

Two of his drawings will be displayed for free ahead of the main exhibitions from July 18 to August 31 in Milan's Palazzo Marino.

The Codex Atlanticus , whose name is an allusion to an atlas due to its large size, is currently kept in the city's Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

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