LEONARDO DA VINCI(1452~1519) was born on 15 April 1452 in the town of Vinci, the illegitimate son of the notary Ser Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman called Caterina. His childhood spent in the Tuscan countryside inspired in him a life-long passion for the observation and depiction of nature. When he was seventeen, he moved to Florence, where his talent for drawing impressed the great master Verrocchio who took him on as a pupil. Only twenty of Leonardo's paintings have survived but they include some of the enduring masterpieces of Western

Art: The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi, The of the Rocks, the Mona Lisa, of course, and his fresco of The Last Supper. Scores of manuscripts, drawings and notes pertaining to fields of knowledge as wide-ranging as the fine arts, the physical and natural sciences, and the military arts bear witness to the universality of his genius. His research on water, air, and the flight of birds inspired inventions and designs that only modern technology has been able to realize, including the aeroplane, the parachute, the bicycle, the tank, and the machine-gun. Leonardo worked for such powerful patrons as Ludovico da Sforza, Duke of Milan; Cesare Borgia; Cardinal Giuliano de Medici, brother of Leon X; and for the French king Francois I at Amboise, where he died in 1519. Leonardo da Vinci avoided the intrigues of worldly ambitions and vanity. He was a reserved and with drawn man, not concerned with glory, and yet absolutely sure of the value of his abilities. A consummate intellectual endowed with an extraordinary imagination, he remains the most outstanding figure of the Renaissance. The man and his oeuvre are presented here in the light of new research that reveals the full extent of his genius.

BIOGRAPHY

1452	Leonardo born in Vinci(Tuscany) on 15 April, the illegitimate son of the notary Ser Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman called Caterina. His childhood was spent in the country.
1457	a fiscal declaration by Leonardo's grandfather mentions that Leonardo lives with his grandparents, his father and the latter's wife.
1469	Death of Leonardo's paternal grandfather. His family moves to Florence. Leonardo accepted into Andrea Verrocchio's studio.
1472	Leonardo, aged twenty, listed as a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Florence.
1473	3 First signed and dated (5 August) drawing by Leonardo; collaborates on the head of an angel in Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ.
1476	8 April, Leonardo accused of sodomy in connection with the Saltarelli Affair. The case is dismissed on 7 July.
1478	10 January, Leonardo commissioned by the Municipal Council to paint an altarpeice for the San Bernardo Chapel at the Signoria. Begins the portrait of Ginevra Benci.
1480	Leonardo works on the restoration of the gardens of the Piazza San Marco in Florence, and for Lorenzo de' Medici. He receives a commission to paint an Adoration of the magi for the high altar of the chuch of San Donato in Scopeto. Of his early works, only the Portrait of Ginevra Benci (Washington D.C.) and the small Annunciation in the Louvre remain.
1482	Letter to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Moro (the Moor), in which Leonardo offers his services as painter, sculptor, civil and military engineer, and musician. He moves to Milan without having finished his Adoration of the Magi. Probable date of his Portrait of a Musician and of the Lady with an Ermine.
1483	25 April, Leonardo signs a contract for the of the Rocks, commissioned by the ecclesiatical authorities of Milan. Probably begins studies for the equestrian monument to the Condottiere Francesco Sforza, Ludovico's father.
1484 ~ 1489	In addition to working on his commissions, Leonardo devotes himself to architectural studies and projects, and even to plans for a flying machine. A very hypothetical trip to the East is dated around 1485.
1490	Leonardo stages banquets and a wedding feast for the Court. Begins work on the equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza.
1491	July, Leonardo takes the ten-year-old Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, known as , into his care.
1493	a giant model of the Sforza equestrian monument, known as ¥± Cavallo, is displyed in the courtyard of the Castle of Milan.
1494	Leonardo works on the organization of the farmlands of the dukes of Milan near Vigevano. Preliminary studies for the Last Supper.
1495	Leonardo begins painting the Last Supper and decorating the rooms of the Sforza castle.
1497	Leonardo responsible for the decoration of the Sala delle Asse in the Castle of Milan.
1498	Leonardo listed among the "engineers of the ducal chamber."
1499	Louis Xll's invasion of Lombardy compels Leonardo to flee Milan; sojourns in Vaprio and Mantua, where he executes two portraits in charcoal of Isabelle d'Este. Moves on to Venici.
1500	Returns to Florence.
1501	Exhibition of the first cartoon for the and Saint Anne in Florence.
1502	A planned trip to Turkey is cancelled. Leonardo enters the service of Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valtellina, and takes part in the Romagna campaign as an architect and general engineer. Inspects Cesare Borgia's fortresses.
1503	Back in Florence between March and June. Competes with Michelangelo in the commission for a wall- painting in the Signoria (Battle of Anghiari). According to Vasari, begins the Portrait of Mona Lisa and Leda and the Swan.
1504	9 July, death of his father.
1505	Leonardo abandons work on his Battle of Anghiari, adding credence to his reputation as an artist who never finished his works.
1506	Florence, Leonardo begins collecting notes on mathematics and physics. In June, leaves Florence for Milan at the behest of Charles d' Amboise, Marshal of France and brother of Georges d'Amboise, a cardinal and influential figure of the Italian Renaissance. Executes his second version of the of the Rocks and works on the and Saint Anne.
1507	The Signoria permits Leonardo to enter the service of King Louis Xll, who appoints him his Court painter and military engineer.
1510	Leonardo works on anatomical plates and research on mechanics.
1513	24 September, Leonardo leaves Milan for Rome, accompanied by Melzi, , and two servants. Enters the service of Cardinal Giuliano de' Medici, the brother of Pope Leo X. Lives in the Belvedere, a spacious villa put at his disposal by the pope. No major commissions permitting him to measure himself against his two illustrious rivals, rap and michelangelo.
1515	Probable date of the Saint John the Baptist. Francois I enters Milan on 11 October.
1516	Death of Giuliano de' Medici, Leonardo's patron. In autumn, he leaves for France, taking with him the Portrait of Mona Lisa, the and Child with Saint Anne, and Saint John the Baptist, which are all now in the Louvre.
1517	Leonardo is in Amboise in April. He is invited by Francois I to live at the Castle of Cloux . He suffers from partial paralysis of the right hand, but can still draw.
1518	Leonardo probably contributes to staging the festivities held in may on the occasion of the Dauphin's baptism and the wedding of Lorenzo de' Medici to the French king's niece. Leonardo organizes festivities in honour of Francois I at Cloux. Works on the project for a canal connecting the Loire and rivers.
1519	MAY 13: Raphael is documented as being absent from Urbino and 23 April, Leonardo dictates his last will and testament, and dies on 2 may. He is buried at Amboise.

BIOGRAPHY

1452

Leonardo born in Vinci(Tuscany) on 15 April, the illegitimate son of the notary Ser Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman called Caterina. His childhood was spent in the country.

1457

a fiscal declaration by Leonardo's grandfather mentions that Leonardo lives with his grandparents, his father and the latter's wife.

1469

Death of Leonardo's paternal grandfather. His family moves to Florence. Leonardo accepted into Andrea Verrocchio's studio.

1472

Leonardo, aged twenty, listed as a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Florence.

1473

3 First signed and dated (5 August) drawing by Leonardo; collaborates on the head of an angel in Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ.

1476

8 April, Leonardo accused of sodomy in connection with the Saltarelli Affair. The case is dismissed on 7 July.

1478

10 January, Leonardo commissioned by the Municipal Council to paint an altarpeice for the San Bernardo Chapel at the Signoria. Begins the portrait of Ginevra Benci.

1480

1482

1483

25 April, Leonardo signs a contract for the of the Rocks, commissioned by the ecclesiatical authorities of Milan. Probably begins studies for the equestrian monument to the Condottiere Francesco Sforza, Ludovico's father.

1484 ~1489

In addition to working on his commissions, Leonardo devotes himself to architectural studies and projects, and even to plans for a flying machine. A very hypothetical trip to the East is dated around 1485.

1490

Leonardo stages banquets and a wedding feast for the Court. Begins work on the equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza.

1491

July, Leonardo takes the ten-year-old Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, known as , into his care.

1493

a giant model of the Sforza equestrian monument, known as ¥± Cavallo, is displyed in the courtyard of the Castle of Milan.

1494

Leonardo works on the organization of the farmlands of the dukes of Milan near Vigevano. Preliminary studies for the Last Supper.

1495

Leonardo begins painting the Last Supper and decorating the rooms of the Sforza castle.

1497

Leonardo responsible for the decoration of the Sala delle Asse in the Castle of Milan.

1498

Leonardo listed among the "engineers of the ducal chamber."

1499

Louis Xll's invasion of Lombardy compels Leonardo to flee Milan; sojourns in Vaprio and Mantua, where he executes two portraits in charcoal of Isabelle d'Este. Moves on to Venici.

1500

Returns to Florence.

1501

Exhibition of the first cartoon for the and Saint Anne in Florence.

1502

A planned trip to Turkey is cancelled. Leonardo enters the service of Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valtellina, and takes part in the Romagna campaign as an architect and general engineer. Inspects Cesare Borgia's fortresses.

1503

Back in Florence between March and June. Competes with Michelangelo in the commission for a wall- painting in the Signoria (Battle of Anghiari). According to Vasari, begins the Portrait of Mona Lisa and Leda and the Swan.

1504

9 July, death of his father.

1505

Leonardo abandons work on his Battle of Anghiari, adding credence to his reputation as an artist who never finished his works.

1506

1507

The Signoria permits Leonardo to enter the service of King Louis Xll, who appoints him his Court painter and military engineer.

1510

Leonardo works on anatomical plates and research on mechanics.

1513

1515

Probable date of the Saint John the Baptist. Francois I enters Milan on 11 October.

1516

Death of Giuliano de' Medici, Leonardo's patron. In autumn, he leaves for France, taking with him the Portrait of Mona Lisa, the and Child with Saint Anne, and Saint John the Baptist, which are all now in the Louvre.

1517

Leonardo is in Amboise in April. He is invited by Francois I to live at the Castle of Cloux . He suffers from partial paralysis of the right hand, but can still draw.

1518

1519

MAY 13: Raphael is documented as being absent from Urbino and 23 April, Leonardo dictates his last will and testament, and dies on 2 may. He is buried at Amboise.

1484
~
1489