Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born April 15, 1452, in Anchiano, known as present-day Italy, near the town of Vinci, which has his surname. He was renowned as an artist, inventor, and thinker. Da Vinci’s life was a mixture of joy and sorrow. But he also achieved success in Florence as one of the most celebrated Renaissance artists. It’s hard to believe that only a few pieces of Da Vinci’s work were preserved for us to see, yet he left a collection of masterpieces. His paintings and notebooks are scattered all over the world.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

Birth date:

April 15, 2022

Death date:

May 2, 2022 (age 0)

Zodiac Sign:

Aries

Height:

5' 7"

Background

Leonardo Da Vinci wrote his notebooks in mirrored writing for unknown purposes, leaving him mysterious. In addition to being an artist, he was an engineer, thinker, and inventor. He is referred to as Leonardo rather than da Vinci. Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, apparently in the village of Anchiano, to Ser Piero da Vinci, a notary and later chancellor of Florence, and Caterina Lippi, an unmarried peasant girl. Da Vinci was the only child of Ser Piero da Vinci and Caterina Lippi. He did not attend traditional education, and he spent his adolescence experimenting and exploring, meticulously recording his findings in a series of diaries that have since been discovered.

Da Vinci came to Florence when he was 14 years old to undertake an apprenticeship with Andrea del Verrocchio, an artist who had previously studied under Donatello, the maestro of the Early Renaissance. Verrocchio was an artist at the court of the Medici, a powerful family with political involvement and patronage of the arts, and who advocated for the Renaissance is often attributed. Da Vinci was fortunate to be born at a time and location where he could fully use his incredible abilities. Supported by the art-loving Medici dynasty now in power in Italy, the Renaissance blossomed throughout the mid-1400s. People began to appreciate Greek and Roman art in a new light, while the development of scientific equipment and mathematics sparked an interest in perspective. Da Vinci and his contemporaries wanted to achieve beauty on par with the ancients. Still, at the same time, they were striving to be more accurate and realistic than their predecessors.

Da Vinci started working on the “Mona Lisa” around 1503. While living and working in Rome from 1513 to 15, he was employed by the Pope and worked on several papal-related projects. Despite the Pope’s prohibition against dissecting cadavers, he continued to study human anatomy and physiology. France’s King Francis I awarded him the title of “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King” in 1516 when his patron Giuliano de’ Medici died. In his final and arguably most lavish patron, Francis I, Leonardo received a stipend and a manor residence near Amboise’s royal palace. Da Vinci was able to teach and draw despite his right-hand paralysis. His many accomplishments were drawings of the Virgin Mary, St. Anne, cats, horses, dragons, St. George, and anatomical studies. He also drew the deluge and different machines and researched the origin of water and nature.

Career timeline

1467
The First Apprenticeship

Da Vinci serves as an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence.

1472
The First Work Offer

Da Vinci joins the Florence Painters’ Guild at 20.

1481
The Commission by a Monastery

Work on the “Adoration of the Magi,” a piece for the Monastery of San Donato begins.

1482
The Painter and Engineer of the Duke

Da Vinci relocates to Milan and works as an engineer, architect, sculptor, and painter.

1495
“The Last Supper” Painting

Da Vinci shows “The Last Supper” in the Santa Maria Delle Grazie dining room.

1502
The Military Service

Cesare Borgia employs Da Vinci as a military engineer and cartographer.

Why We Love Leonardo da Vinci

  1. He aided our knowledge of human anatomy

    Da Vinci developed a lifelong interest in anatomy during his apprenticeship with Andrea del Verrocchio, a famous Renaissance-era Florentine artist. He soon exceeded the master, and da Vinci produced amazingly precise portrayals of the human anatomy in his drawings and paintings.

  2. He foresaw the future.

    He initially developed parachutes using a wooden pyramid wrapped in fabric to delay the drop to the earth. In 2000, Da Vinci’s concept was eventually tested and proved successful. It took nearly three centuries for someone else to create a genuinely functional parachute.

  3. He didn’t part with the “Mona Lisa.”

    Da Vinci worked on the “Mona Lisa” for the rest of his life. In the “Mona Lisa,” he combines his understanding of human anatomy and motion with his observations of the natural world, the effects of atmosphere, distance, and proportion.

5 Surprising Facts

  1. He didn’t like academics

    Though Da Vinci is credited with many inventions, he never attended formal education.

  2. He had exceptional musical sense

    Da Vinci believed music was tied to the visual arts since it depends on the five senses.

  3. He could write in reverse

    Da Vinci’s meals were written on lists backward in the remaining 6,000-page diary.

  4. He had a history of procrastination

    Da Vinci had so many different interests that he frequently abandoned them.

  5. He was a believer in physiognomy

    Da Vinci believed the face reveals a great deal about an individual.

Leonardo da Vinci FAQs

What makes Leonardo da Vinci special?

because he used revolutionary techniques in his art and had an in-depth understanding of human anatomy.

Is there a nude version of the “Mona Lisa?”

Yes, there is. It is known as the “Monna Vanna.”

Who created the Monna Vanna?”

It was Da Vinci’s apprentice and longtime servant known as Salai who received the “Mona Lisa” after Da Vinci’s death.

Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday dates

YearDateDay
2024April 15Monday
2025April 15Tuesday
2026April 15Wednesday
2027April 15Thursday
2028April 15Saturday

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