Leonardo da Vinci (b. 1452, Vinci, d. 1519)

Entertainments

In the most brilliant Renaissance courts, the "lay" (non-religious) festivals were the events whereby a lord's generosity and magnificence was judged. The great princes of the day competed in offering ever more sumptuous entertainments to their courtiers and guests; these performances became complicated and grandiose testimonials to munificence and splendour.

Leonardo was especially appreciated for his capacity to construct mechanical scenery, with mobile scenes and waterworks. In 1489, for the wedding of Gian Galeazzo Sforza to Isabella of Aragon, Leonardo constructed an representing the planets and their movements: whenever a planet came near Isabella, the god who inhabited it rose from inside and recited verses written for the occasion by the court poet Bellincioni.When Louis XII occupied Milan, Leonardo constructed complicated robots that rendered homage to the victors during their triumphal procession through the streets of Milan.

A small example may serve to show how precious Leonardo's eclectic genius was for a lord of the time: Lodovico Sforza, a lover of music, particularly enjoyed the lyre, to which he would listen for hours on end without tiring; Leonardo accordingly constructed a silver lyre, bizarrely shaped like a horse's skull, with a particularly harmonious and crystalline sound.

Vasari recounts that, during a performance at court, Leonardo exhibited himself with his ingenious instrument and "surpassed all the other musicians who had competed in playing their instruments."

[ Leonardo in Florence ]
[ His Years in Milan ]
[ His Roman Sojourn ]
[ Leonardo in France ]
[ Flight and Freedom ]
[ Leonardo the Engineer ]
...[ Leonardo and Warcraft ]
...[ The Art of War ]
...[ Leonardo and Water ]
...[ Mechanics ]
[ The Portrait of Mona Lisa ]