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Leonardo da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, was raised by his father, Ser Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, in Vinci, Italy. His mother, only know by Catarina, left after he was born due to his birth being out of wedlock. Sir Piero was a notary from the upper class while his mother was just a peasant.
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When Leonardo is accepted to the painters guild he meets Michelangelo. At the guild, Leonardo studied more painting and stayed at his masters workshop. The guild progressed Leonardo farther in painting skills.
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In 1446, when Leonardo was in his young teenage years, Verrocchio made him his apprentice. He studied with Verrocchio for 6 years, learning everything from metalworking to sculpting. It was here that he worked towards becoming the famous artist we know him as today.
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Leonardo was accused of sodomy at the age of 24. The accusation claimed that he had a sexual relationship with a known prostitute, Jacopo Saltarelli. However, in June of that year, the case was dropped.
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The work titled "Annunciation" has been questioned as to if Da Vinci actually painted it or not. It is said to actually be the work of Lorenzo di Credi.
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Leonardo was given credit for creating the first sketch/model for the self-propelled car. It was more like a wind-up toy than an actual car. There were no seats, just wheels, and what powered it, coiled springs. It looked like a box and had wooden blocks that steered it.
In 2004, several groups located in Florence have tried to mimick Da Vinci's model. However, it does not exceed 130 feet even with a coiled spring. -
San Donato a Scopeto, a monestary near Florence, gave Da Vinci his first break. They commisioned him to paint the worship of baby Jesus by Magi, or the three wise men. However, in 1483, he abandoned the painting to work for the Duke of Milan. Even though it had been abandoned, the Adoration of the Magi, is said to show how Da Vinci was able to capture details and have the painting tell a story.
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Leonardo moves to Milan as the engineer of the Duke.
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While working for the Duke of Milan, Ludovica Sforza, Leonardo created a giant crossbow to fight with. Although people weren't necessarily sure that the crossbow always worked, when enemies saw the crossbow, there was no way that they would attack. Most researchers and scientists believe that the crossbow could have been about 100 feet wide.
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Da Vinci was an avid bird-watcher. He was so obessed with birds that me made a "ornithopter." The ornithopter was a flying machine that was made of flapping wings powered by a human. The idea of this machine explained how birds flew: through force on the wings. However, this machine did not leave the pages that he sketched on but proved that his knowledge was way beyond those of his time.
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The Last Supper was commissioned by the Duke of Milan and was to be painted on a dining hall wall in the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie. Just like the Adoration of the Magi, the mural is well known for vividly depicting the moment Jesus announces that one of his 12 disciples will betray him. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, is the 2nd from the left.
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Leonardo starts working for Pope Alexander VI's son, . He was the senior military architect and general engineer for Borgia.
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In 1506, Leonardo painted the world famous Mona Lisa. This painting has been under extreme questioning; Why is she smiling?
Some believe the woman in the painting could be a prostiute or just a random woman.However, thanks to a friend's notes, the question of who the woman is, is over. She is believe to be Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. -
Leonardo is invited to work for the King of France.
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King Francis I of France, cradled Da Vinci in his arms as he died. Leonardo had lost an arm, perhaps the result of a stroke. No one believes that he painted during his last year at the castle in Cloux.
