Leonardo da Vinci

Lore & Background

Leonardo was born out of wedlock to Piero da Vinci, a Florentine legal notary, and Caterina di Meo Lippi, from the lower class, in or near Vinci, Tuscany. The traditional account places his birth in Anchiano, a country hamlet, though a house in Florence is also possible. His parents both married separately the year after his birth. Leonardo eventually had 16 half-siblings, much younger than him, with whom he had very little contact. Tax records indicate that by at least 1457 he lived in the household of his paternal grandfather, Antonio da Vinci. He is thought to have been close to his uncle, Francesco da Vinci. Around the age of 14, he became a garzone in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his time. He became an apprentice by age 17 and remained in training for seven years. According to Vasari, Leonardo collaborated with Verrocchio on The Baptism of Christ (c. 1472–1475), painting the young angel holding Jesus's robe with skill so far superior that Verrocchio purportedly put down his brush and never painted again. By 1472, at age 20, Leonardo qualified as a master in the Guild of Saint Luke. In January 1478, he received an independent commission to paint an altarpiece for the Chapel of Saint Bernard in the Florentine town hall. In March 1481, he received a commission from the monks of San Donato.

Reader's Guide

Leonardo is identified as one of the greatest painters in the history of Western art and is often credited as the founder of the High Renaissance. Despite having many lost works and fewer than 25 attributed major works – including numerous unfinished works – he created some of the most influential paintings in the Western canon. The Mona Lisa is regarded as the world's most famous painting. The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious painting of all time, and his Vitruvian Man drawing is also regarded as a cultural icon. In 2017, Salvator Mundi, attributed in whole or part to Leonardo, was sold at auction for US$450.3 million, setting a new record for the most expensive painting ever sold at public auction. Revered for his technological ingenuity, he conceptualised flying machines, a type of armoured fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, a ratio machine that could be used in an adding machine, and the double hull. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even feasible during his lifetime. Some of his smaller inventions, however, entered the world of manufacturing unheralded, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire. He made substantial discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, hydrodynamics, geology, optics, and tribology, but he did not publish his findings and they had little to no direct influence on subsequent science.

Did You Know?

• Leonardo was born out of wedlock to a successful notary and a lower-class woman.
• He recorded an earliest memory in the Codex Atlanticus of a kite coming to his cradle and opening his mouth with its tail.
• By 1472, at age 20, Leonardo qualified as a master in the Guild of Saint Luke, the guild of artists and doctors of medicine.
• In 2017, Salvator Mundi, attributed in whole or part to Leonardo, sold at auction for US$450.3 million, a record for the most expensive painting ever sold at public auction.
• He made substantial discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, hydrodynamics, geology, optics, and tribology, but did not publish his findings.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

A common misconception is that Leonardo’s fame rests solely on his paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. In fact, the record states his fame 'initially rested on his achievements as a painter, but he has also become known for his notebooks,' which cover anatomy, astronomy, botany, and more. Another misconception is that he was a formally legitimized child of privilege; however, the facts confirm he was 'born out of wedlock to a successful notary and a lower-class woman.'

Why It Matters (Editorial)

Leonardo da Vinci endures as the archetype of the Renaissance humanist ideal—proof that the boundaries between art, science, and invention are artificial. His notebooks reveal a mind that saw no division between painting a mural and dissecting a human corpse, reminding us that creativity and curiosity are inseparable forces behind lasting cultural and intellectual progress.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, inventor, engineer, scientist, sculptor, and musician. His best known painting is the Mona Lisa." — Leonardo da Vinci "The painter strives and competes with nature...There is nothing in all nature without its reason. If you know the reason, you do not need the experience..." — Leonardo da Vinci "Look at the grace and sweetness of men and women in the street..." — Leonardo da Vinci "Thou, O God, sellest us all benefits, at the cost of our toil...." — Leonardo da Vinci