Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in Tuscany outside the village of

Anchiano in present-day Italy. He was born out of wedlock to respected Florentine notary Ser
Piero and a young peasant woman named Caterina, he was raised by his father and his
stepmothers. At the age of five, he moved to his fathers family estate in nearby Vinci, and lived
with his uncle and grandparents. Young Leonardo received little formal education beyond basic
reading, writing and mathematics instruction, but his artistic talents were evident from an early
age. By age 14 he was apprenticing under the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence.
Verocchio's specialty was perspective, which artists had only recently begun to get the hang of,
and Leonardo quickly mastered its challenges. This style was a way of producing atmospheric
expressions in paintings.
THE ANNUNCIATION (painting)
Tis painting is the story of Mary being visited by The Archangel Gabriel, who explains that she is
destined to be the mother of the Son of God, was a popular one in renaissance times. It is
considered to be da Vinci's first major work.
THE MONA LISA (painting)
Princess Isabella of Naples, an unnamed courtesan and da Vincis own mother have been put forth
as potential sitters for the masterpiece. It has even been speculated that the subject wasnt a
female at all but da Vincis longtime apprentice Salai dressed in womens clothing. Based on
accounts from an early biographer, however, the "Mona Lisa" is a picture of Lisa del Giocondo,
the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. The paintings original Italian nameLa
Giocondasupports the theory, but its far from certain. Some art historians believe the
merchant commissioned the portrait to celebrate the pending birth of the couples next child,
which means the subject could have been pregnant at the time of the painting. The Mona Lisa is
one of Leonardos most important works. It is today one of the worlds most famous paintings. It
has consistently fascinated people.
Leonardo da Vinci was a true renaissance man. He is well known as a great artist but in
fact he made great contributions to the foundation of science. He used science to enhance his
paintings and was right away intrigued. Da Vinci did not see a divide between science and art. He
viewed the two as intertwined disciplines rather than separate ones. He believed studying science
made him a better artist. He was also the first scientist that correlated mathematics and science.
Leonardo was also a skilled inventor and engineer. He envisioned hydraulic pumps, flying
machines, and even war machines. Leonardo is credited for designing the first war tank, an early
helicopter, and even an early bicycle.
Although da Vinci is known for his artistic abilities, fewer than two-dozen paintings
attributed to him exist. Da Vinci died at Cloux in 1519 at age 67. He was buried nearby in the
palace church of Saint-Florentin. The French Revolution nearly obliterated the church, and its
remains were completely demolished in the early 1800s, making it impossible to identify da
Vincis exact gravesite.