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Thread: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is considered one of the greatest genii in history. He was a key Renaissance artist, an inventor, architect, scientist & polymath. Some of his work is universally famous, even though he painted so few pictures 
The artist was born in Vinci in Tuscany. His father was a member of the gentry & a notary. He lived with his mother as a young child before moving to live in his father’s household (1465). He had a basic gentleman’s education. Self-Portrait (1513)
In 1465 Da Vinci became a student of Verrocchio in Florence. There he was educated on every form of art within a milieu of great artistry. He was involved in Verrocchio’s painting of the Baptism of Christ (1472-5), painting the young angel who holds Jesus’ robes.
Leonardo, too, may have been the model for Verrocchio’s David & as the Archangel Raphael in his Tobias & the Angel. Da Vinci would often draw his students in later life, too. He was famed for his beauty & brains. David (1473-5) & Tobias & the Angel (1470-5) by Verrocchio
Throughout his life Da Vinci’s restless spirit meant unfinished paintings - so it is his drawings that are all the more precious to understand him. Head of a Woman (1470-6), Drapery (1472-5) & Warrior (1472)
In 1472 he became independent as a master in the Guild of St Luke. His father set him up in a studio of his own but he continued his link with Verrocchio. His earliest known dated drawing, of the Arno Valley, comes from 1473. Annunciation (1472-5) & Arno Landscape (1473)
Records of his early life are few. He was charged with sodomy in 1476 but was acquitted, altho’ it’s fairly certain that Da Vinci was a gay man. His influential contacts may have saved him from criminal conviction. Ginevra de’ Benci (c1474), Hands (1474) & Annunciation (1478-82)
He became associated with the Medici around 1480. They held great collections of art & were rulers of Florence keen on patronage of artists. He received commissions but in a sign of things to come didn’t deliver. Madonna (1478), Automobile (1478-80) & Adoration (1478-81)
Leonardo was also a famed musician & even designed his own lyre. The lyre & artist were sent to Milan on a diplomatic mission by the Medici. He worked there 1482-99 & painted the Last Supper (after 1494). Madonna (1478), Studies (1478-80) & Madonna (1478)
Leonardo was constantly working out military ideas, exploring nature & sketching in his notebooks. Crossbow Machine (1480-2), Water Lifting Devices (1480-2), Lady with Unicorn (c1480) & Lily (1480-5)
He took great delight in observing his pets. Another sign of his sexuality is the rather fey St Sebastian drawing. St Jerome (1480), Siege Defences (1480-2), Dog & Cat (c1480) & St Sebastian (1480-1)
He was sent in 1485 to Hungary by the Duke of Milan. His tax statements suggest his mother lived with him in Milan & he created decorations for the Duke & a model of a horse (now lost). Adoration of the Magi (1480-1), Studies (c1481), Study of Flowers (c1481-3) & Girl (1483)
Da Vinci’s drawings are some of the most beautiful in art history. He was fascinated with the natural world, with knots & plaits & with beauty. Bear (1482-5), Head of the Virgin (1510-3), Head of Leda (1504-6) & Head of a Woman (nd)
He made two versions of the Virgin of the Rocks. His first, with pointing angel, is now in the Louvre. The Angel may have been based on his beloved assistant, Salai. Cecilia Gallerani (1483-90) & Virgin of the Rocks (1483-6)
When the Duke was overthrown (1499) Da Vinci & his prob lover, Salai, left for Venice where he was a military engineer. Back in Florence in 1500, where he created the astonishing cartoon for the Virgin with St Anne. La Belle Ferromière (1490), Young Woman (c1490) & Salai (nd)
Here is his most successful mother & child. The Last Supper, as is well known, involved him experimenting with paints & began to deteriorate almost immediately. Madonna Litta (1490), Musician (1490), Vitruvian Man (1492) & Last Supper (detail, 1495-7)
Leonardo worked for Cesare Borgia in 1502 as a military engineer. He created a number of maps for him. Virgin of the Rocks (London version,1495-1508), Virgin & Child with SS Anne & John the Baptist (c1499), Isabella d’Este (1500) & Salvator Mundi (c1500)
1503 saw him back in Florence. There he completed a cartoon for the Battle of Anghiari. He also worked on a panel to advise on the siting of Michelangelo’s David. Madonna with Yardwinder (1501), Study (1501), Map of Imola (1502) & Battle of Anghiari (1503-5)
He returned to Milan (1506) where he had a number of assistants & students, the finest of whom was Boltraffio. You can read more about Da Vinci & his students here:
Da Vinci was off to Florence in 1507 trying to sort out his father’s estate. A year later he went back to Milan where he owned his own house. Mona Lisa (1503-5) & Studies (1509-14)
Leonardo lived in the Belvedere (1513-6) under Pope Leo X patronage. He met Francis I in 1515 & entered his service in 1516. He was granted a house & moved to France with his partner Melzi. St John the Baptist (1510-5) & Virgin & Child with SS Anne & John the Baptist (1510)
Da Vinci died in France in 1519, aged 67. He had become a close friend of the King. In his will he left much of his estate to Melzi & also remembered Salai (model for the Baptists). Salai owned the Mona Lisa. St John the Baptist (1513-6), Head of a Woman (nd) & Christ (1494-5)
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A contemporary of Leonardo’s was Perugino. The latter is one of my favourite artists:
