Queen lets some of her Leonardo drawings go on tour of Britain

A set of Leonardo da Vinci's finest drawings, held in the Queen's private collection, are to be taken from their vault at Windsor Castle for an unprecedented exhibition tour to mark the Golden Jubilee next year.

The 10 drawings are part of the only collection of works by the Renaissance master still in private hands in Britain. They form part of a bound volume of 600 drawings by Leonardo kept at the castle, and cannot be put on permanent public display because of potential damage from exposure to light.

Taken from all the stages of the master's career, the pictures testify to his wide range of interests, including architecture, engineering, anatomy, optics, geology and botany.

Martin Clayton, the assistant curator of the print room at Windsor Castle, said: "Leonardo was one of the most amazing chaps ... and there seems to be an irresistible appetite for him. Everyone knows this almost mythical character had all these interests and this exhibition allows people to approach him through these personal aspects.

"The drawings are things we can get right up close to and get some idea of the workings of his mind."

The images have been in the collection since 1690 and were probably acquired during the reign of Charles II. They include dramatic studies of the sea-god Neptune, studies of a horse and a drawing of a mortar attack on a fortress.

Despite their great age, the drawings are said to be in such good condition that some of them could have been executed only yesterday. This has been attributed to the quality of 15th-century paper, which consisted mainly of rag rather than woodpulp.

Exactly how and when Charles II came by the world's largest single holding of Leonardo drawings is still something a mystery. It is known, however, that the monarch was active in the art field, buying back a number of his father's paintings that had fallen into the possession of the Commonwealth.

Last month, a drawing by Leonardo broke records when it sold at Christie's in London for more than £8m. The small silverpoint study, Horse and Rider, was expected to fetch £3.5m. It was the only remaining work by an artist of such importance in private hands, apart from those owned by the Royal Family, whose collection of 30,000 drawings is regarded as one of the finest in the world.

The touring exhibition next year will call at galleries in Merseyside, Yorkshire, Wales and Northern Ireland.