101 Things You Didn't Know About Da Vinci (7 page)

Needless to say, Cesare Borgia's infamy guaranteed him a place in history. Renaissance writer and philosopher Niccolo' Machiavelli (1469–1527) may even have based
The Prince
, his political examination of the day's monarchy, on Borgia's life. It is also possible that Machiavelli's work was more parody than praise; in any event, Borgia's contemporary influence was enormous and undeniable.

So how did this ruthless character relate to Renaissance master painter Leonardo da Vinci? For starters, Leonardo traveled with Cesare Borgia in the early 1500s. As a military engineer and architect, Leonardo was put to work designing war machines. When his former patron, Duke Sforza, was driven out of Rome, Leonardo had to look for work, and the military experience Leonardo gained while working under the duke helped him to secure the position with Borgia's army. During his time with Borgia, Leonardo designed many machines, including collapsible bridges, wall-mounted ladders, and rotating scythe blades attached to moving chariots. It's also possible that he designed weapons, such as catapults, crossbows, machine guns, and cannons. Leonardo's genius turned lethal, when required.

Like so many religious and political figures of the day, Borgia was also a patron of the arts, and having Leonardo da Vinci in his company was another feather in his cap. Leonardo stayed with Cesare Borgia until his return to Milan in 1506.

23
The best of the Louis

King Louis XII of France (1462–1515), affectionately dubbed “Father of the People,” was a popular king who had a major influence during the Renaissance. In a typically nepotistic fashion, he inherited a duke position from his father, the Duke of Orleans. Like Leonardo, he stood up for what he believed in as part of the rebellion against the French King Charles (who was, incidentally, his cousin). This little incident landed him in prison from 1487 to 1490, but later, he worked his way back into Charles's circle of friends. How forgiving!

But how'd he end up in Italy? At that time, many powerful French leaders were asserting their claims to dominance in Italy. Louis was part of this movement, and he made a name for himself by participating in the Italian invasions. He went on to become king upon Charles's death in 1498.

After gaining power over Milan in 1500, Louis had the unenviable task of dividing the royal authority in Naples and engaging in constant battles for power with Spain. He also had to suppress the Italian city-states' various rebellions, including those in Genoa and Venice. Around 1511, however, Pope Julius II formed the Holy Roman League, one of its main purposes being to eradicate French leadership in Italy. Louis remained in power in Milan until 1513, when the French presence was driven out. In 1514, King Louis's second wife died, and he remarried Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII's eighteen-year-old sister. When Louis XII died in 1515, the French monarchy went to François I.

As king, Louis was popular among the people because he lowered taxes and made other general improvements. He was also a patron of the arts, and Leonardo da Vinci served as his court painter in Milan for several years.

After his stint as Cesare Borgia's military engineer, Leonardo returned to Milan. He was becoming increasingly famous, and King Louis's governor, Charles D'Amboise, requested him specifically for the position of court painter. Leonardo's reputation was well established by this time, and King Louis's court wanted to get in on the national treasure that Leonardo was becoming. You can tell that Leonardo was in high demand from a letter King Louis's court sent to the city of Florence, asking for Leonardo's services. Hard to imagine the Queen of England writing to the entire City of New York to ask for a painter, isn't it? King Louis wanted Leonardo to remain in Milan until his highness could set up court there, and of course Leonardo obliged.

In addition to painting, Leonardo provided architectural, military, and other engineering services to King Louis. He was also responsible for other general duties as directed by the court; when Louis traveled to other cities, Leonardo may have been in charge of decorations and whatever traveling road show the king required. All in all, it was a very sweet deal for our master painter.

Leonardo painted several masterpieces during this period. In 1506, he worked on a second version of
The Virgin of the Rocks
. He also painted
Leda and the Swan
(now lost) and
The Virgin and Saint Anne
in 1509, as well as
St. John in the Wilderness
from around 1510 to 1515.

Leonardo also took this opportunity to do some prefunded, independent study. He was fascinated with botany, hydraulics, mechanics, and other sciences. He took his study of anatomy to a higher level, and in working with the noted anatomist Marcantonio della Torre from the University of Pavia, he learned much, storing his knowledge away for future use in paintings, writings, and other designs. But Leonardo did more than just study. In 1512, he produced one of his first self-portraits. Then, of course, there were the legal distractions related to settling his father's and uncle's estates (see number 5).

Leonardo remained Louis XII's court painter until the king was forced out of Milan in 1513. At this time, Leonardo left Milan briefly and found work in Florence and Rome over the next several years.

24
Don't mess with the pope

One of the most important political, social, and religious units in Florence, the Medici family controlled the republic more than the government possibly could have. While the family was historically composed of doctors and artists, they later became bankers and ran the region financially.

In the early sixteenth century Giovanni de Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, rose to be a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. But the Medicis certainly weren't the only powerful family in Italy. Other families challenged their financial and cultural control, but Giovanni used his connections with the pope to reassert the Medicis as a primary ruling family. Ultimately, Giovanni became Pope Leo X. His greatest claim to fame, incidentally, is being the pope who was responsible for Martin Luther's excommunication during the Protestant Reformation.

Giovanni's brother, Giuliano de' Medici, was also a great success as head of the pope's army. Art historians in particular like to study Giuliano because he served as Leonardo da Vinci's patron from 1513–1516. After King Louis XII of France was forced out of power in Milan in 1513, Leonardo was freed from his role as court painter and quickly got back on good terms with the Medici family.

Leonardo da Vinci's lifestyle underwent major changes during these years. He moved to Rome and lived in the Vatican, where he earned respect from both religious authorities and other artists. Respect equaled more commissions, so he was making friends in the right places. He had his own workshop in Rome and took on many projects under the direction of both Giuliano de Medici and the pope.

Having such a high position gave Leonardo luxuries that other artists didn't have; he had free time to study, and he focused his efforts on learning more about anatomy and physiology. During the course of his studies, Leonardo became convinced of the scientific importance of dissecting human cadavers. This approach certainly made sense, given what Renaissance doctors and scientists were beginning to understand about the human body. However, much to Leonardo's dismay, the pope issued orders expressly forbidding the dissection of human bodies. Faced with no other choice, Leonardo reluctantly obeyed.

While in Rome, Leonardo was in close proximity to some of his primary rivals. Both Michelangelo and Raphael were becoming major players in the art world, and while Leonardo didn't have much direct contact with these artists, their obvious abilities certainly prodded him to keep up, if not surpass them.

Da Vinci created several masterpieces while under Giuliano de Medici's patronage. One of his crowning achievements was
St. John the Baptist
(1513–1516), which may be the last painting Leonardo ever worked on. This painting is particularly significant because it clearly demonstrates
sfumato
, a technique Leonardo developed over the course of his career to make people and objects appear to dissolve into one other and the accompanying background (see number 30). You can see another excellent example of
sfumato
in Leonardo's
Mona Lisa
(1503–1506).

Among Leonardo's later technical achievements during his period in Rome was a mechanical lion he developed for the coronation of France's successor to the crown, King François I. Following the coronation in 1516, Leonardo again joined the royal courts, serving under François, until his death in 1519.

25
François I, King of France and friend of Leonardo

After his years of travel with Cesare Borgia and his army, Leonardo probably needed a break. He was, after all, in his fifties at the turn of the century, and the nomadic warrior lifestyle wasn't exactly restful. As explained in the previous points, Leonardo's occupations after moving to Milan were varied: he worked as court painter, engineer, architect, and all-around artist for Louis XII between 1506 and 1513. Then, the Medicis were his patrons in Rome until 1516.

From 1516 to until his death in 1519, Leonardo worked for the court of François I (1494–1547), the King of France. François was crowned in 1515 after he inherited the monarchy from Louis XII. Often considered to be the first true king of the Renaissance, François was enchanted with the artwork of the day, and he reportedly invited Leonardo to visit the French court and ultimately convinced him to stay. Once there, Leonardo was honored and respected, as well he should have been! Rather than being simply a court painter, he was given the title of Premier Architect, Engineer, and Painter.

While some of his earlier accommodations were little more than stable rooms, Da Vinci's final home was a luxurious house near the royal palace in France. He lived at the Clos Luce Manor, located in the Loire Valley. And the free room and board wasn't all—Leonardo was well paid for his work during these final years and was reputed to have been closer to François than any of his previous patrons. Apparently, the king did not ask Leonardo to produce much toward the end of his life. His primary role was to serve as the king's friend. There may have even been an underground passage between the Manor and royal castle, which would have given the king easy access to his aging friend.

Toward the end of his life, Leonardo spent much time sketching. He developed some of the first sketches of water flowing freely and circulating in a whirlpool. Later, scientists researching turbulence would actually study his drawings. Leonardo also developed preliminary designs for scuba gear, diving suits, movable bridges, underwater craft, and many other devices that foretold designs to come.

François, by all accounts, had a special place in his heart for Leonardo and the feeling appears to have been mutual. Leonardo's favorite work was the
Mona Lisa
, which he kept with him at all times, until, as evidence suggests, he either gave or sold his treasure to King François.

King François remained a patron of the arts after Leonardo's death; he collected masterpieces from other artists, including Michelangelo, Cellini, Raphael, and Titian. His royal palace, decorated with works from Leonardo and others, was a true tribute to Renaissance art. What an amazing museum it would have made.

26
Da Vinci University

Wish you could have signed up for painting classes with the Great Leonardo? Even if you were alive during the Renaissance, you would have had a tough time. Leonardo never established a formal school or workshop. However, he did instruct plenty of students and apprentices over the years. During Leonardo's years in Milan at the court of Sforza, he probably had a number of apprentices and pupils. He even wrote training guides specifically for these students, and these documents were later collected in book form as
A Treatise on Painting
.

Leonardo was a hands-on teacher and also collaborated on a number of works with his students during this period, some of which still have questionable attributions. Several of his students' works have even been incorrectly attributed to Leonardo himself. This collaborative style makes it hard to place blame for mistakes, and also makes it hard to give credit where credit is due.

Da Vinci's pupils during this Milan period included Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (his earliest pupil); Bernardino de'Conti; Giacomo Caprotti (nicknamed Salai); Giovanni Agostino da Lodi; Andrea Solario; Ambrogio de Predis; Francesco Napoletano; and Marco d'Oggiono. While Leonardo was in Milan in the early 1500s, Bernadino de'Conti and Salai continued as his apprentices. He also had a new crop of assistants, including Bernardino Luini, Cesare de Sesto, Giampetrino, and Francesco Melzi. (Melzi later became his personal companion, artistic heir, and likely lover.) Some of these pupils eventually succeeded in their own right, painting famous works such as
La Belle Ferronniere, Lucrezia Crivelli
, and the
Madonna Litta
.

Leonardo reportedly chose some of his assistants for their good looks rather than their artistic abilities (Francesco Melzi and Salai in particular). Melzi, unlike Salai, did produce a few paintings during his many years with Leonardo, so we know that the relationship was at least slightly more than personal!

The commission to paint
The Virgin of the Rocks
, one of the master's early major works, was actually given to both Leonardo and his assistant, Ambrogio de Predis, in 1483. Ambrogio served as a court painter to Ludovico Sforza and hosted Leonardo in his home when Leonardo first came to Milan, The two collaborated on paintings throughout the 1490s, and
The Virgin of the Rocks
is the best known of these collaborations. In this work, Leonardo painted the central picture, while de Predis painted two side panels showing angels playing musical instruments. Two versions were eventually completed, thanks to the resulting lawsuit (see number 36 for the complete story on this work). Although in the later version the angel kneeling behind the infant Jesus is undoubtedly Leonardo's work, he most likely did not finish it. The Madonna and landscape aren't as good technically, suggesting that a student probably painted them.