Hidden da Vincis to tour UK

Neptune is one of the 10 drawings to be released

A priceless collection of Leonardo da Vinci drawings kept by the Queen will tour the country as part of next year's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The 10 drawings are usually kept in a Windsor Castle vault away from damaging bright lights.

But the Queen has given the go ahead for them to leave London to become part an exhibition at four UK galleries.

The pictures have been held in trust by the Royal Family since before 1690 and are thought to have been acquired during the reign of Charles II.

Da Vinci studied human anatomy

Among those going on display are: The Head of a Young Man (1508-10); Studies of a horse (1490); A Scene from the Last Judgement (1515) and The Anatomy of the Shoulder (1510).

Martin Clayton, assistant curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle, said: "Leonardo was one of the most amazing chaps there has been and there seems to be an irresistible appetite for him.

Personal

"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 tour will start at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight, Merseyside on 15 February.

It will then travel to Yorkshire, Wales and Northern Ireland for the remainder of the year.

A branch of blackberries was a preliminary drawing for a later painting

The 2002 Golden Jubilee, a celebration of the Queen's 50 years on the throne, will include the development of two art galleries.

The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace is being redeveloped for spring 2002, to increase the size of the existing gallery.

A new Queen's Gallery, costing some £3m, is to be built at Holyrood in Edinburgh.

It will be created from two converted buildings, close to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the site of the new Scottish Parliament.

It will enable more material from the royal library at Windsor including world famous works of art by Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael to be exhibited in Scotland.