Leonardo Da Vinci

  • 1452

    1452: Leonardo born on April 15, in Vinci.

    1452: Leonardo born on April 15, in Vinci.
    Leonardo was born to Ser Piero, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant girl; his parents were never married.
  • 1467

    1467: Leonardo becomes an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio, in Florence.

    1467: Leonardo becomes an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio, in Florence.
    This date is an estimate, the apprenticeship could have begun a year or two later. But even 1467 would have been a bit late according to the customs of the time: Leonardo would have been fifteen, and most apprentices began at a younger age.
  • 1472

    1472: Leonardo becomes a member of the Florence painters' guild. Birth of Copernicus. Dante's The Divine Comedy is published.

    1472: Leonardo becomes a member of the Florence painters' guild. Birth of Copernicus. Dante's The Divine Comedy is published.
    Other famous painters to join the painters' guild in 1472 were Botticelli and Perugino.
  • 1475

    1475: Michelangelo born

    1475: Michelangelo born
  • 1481

    1481: Leonardo receives a commission to paint the Adoration of the Magi.

    1481: Leonardo receives a commission to paint the Adoration of the Magi.
    The painting was never completed, yet was–and is–considered a masterpiece. This same year, most of the other noteworthy painters in Florence were sent to Rome to work on projects for the Pope.
  • 1482

    1482: Leonardo moves from Florence to Milan, entering the patronage of Ludovico Sforza.

    1482: Leonardo moves from Florence to Milan, entering the patronage of Ludovico Sforza.
    By this time, Leonardo is writing in his notebooks regularly.
  • 1489

    1489: Leonardo studies anatomy.

    1489: Leonardo studies anatomy.
  • 1495

    1495: Leonardo begins his Last Supper in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

    1495: Leonardo begins his Last Supper in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
  • 1498

    1498: Leonardo decorates the walls and ceiling of the Sala delle Asse. He also made his first attempts at planning a flying machine around this time.

    1498: Leonardo decorates the walls and ceiling of the Sala delle Asse. He also made his first attempts at planning a flying machine around this time.
    In 1498, Savonarola is burned at the stake.
  • 1500

    1500:Leonardo and Pacioli go to Mantua, then Leonardo continues on to Florence.

    1500:Leonardo and Pacioli go to Mantua, then Leonardo continues on to Florence.
    In Mantua, he draws the Portrait in Profile of Isabelle d'Este. In Florence, he paints the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.
  • 1502

    1502: Leonardo becomes Cesare Borgia's military engineer.

    1502: Leonardo becomes Cesare Borgia's military engineer.
    Leonardo travels around the Romagna, inspecting fortifications. He meets Machiavelli.
  • 1507

    1507: Leonardo is appointed Louis XII's painter and engineer.

    1507: Leonardo is appointed Louis XII's painter and engineer.
    He paints a second version of the Virgin of the Rocks. He meets his beautiful young assistant, Francesco Melzi. Also, he travels to Florence in a lawsuit against his brothers of his inheritance from his uncle Francesco.
  • 1515

    1515: Around this time, Leonardo paints the painting John the Baptist.

    1515: Around this time, Leonardo paints the painting John the Baptist.
    He also constructs a mechanical lion for the coronation of the new king of France, Francis I.
  • 1516

    1516: Leonardo permanently leaves Italy for France, where he will serve Francis I in his court in Amboise.

    1516: Leonardo permanently leaves Italy for France, where he will serve Francis I in his court in Amboise.
  • 1519

    1519: In May, Leonardo dies at Cloux.

    1519: In May, Leonardo dies at Cloux.