Don’t Know About Leonardo da Vinci: 10 Surprising Facts

Although Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) is mainly known as a painter, he was also a sculptor, architect, writer, anatomist, geologist, astronomer, engineer and scientist. In this article prepared for you, we have collected some information about Leonardo da Vinci, whose significance was realized much later, which you probably did not hear about before. Here’s what you don’t know about Leonardo da Vinci.

1. His real name is not Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo’s full name was Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci. It meant “Leonardo son of Piero Vinci” before modern names appeared in Europe.

2. He was an illegitimate child

Leonardo was born on a farm near the village of Anchiano in Tuscany in April 1452 to Sir Piero, a wealthy Florentine notary, and a peasant woman named Caterina. Although the couple had a total of 12 children with other partners, Leonardo da Vinci was the only child they had together. Fortunately, Leonardo’s illegitimacy did not require him to follow his father’s profession so that he could freely pursue art.

3. He had little education

Leonardo had no formal education other than basic mathematics, reading and writing. The talents of the famous self-taught artist began to appear at a very early age. Apprenticed to the sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio at the age of 14, Leonardo was introduced to various technical skills such as metalworking, drawing, painting, sculpting and carpentry in Verrocchio’s workshop.

4. Failed to complete your first order

Leonardo da Vinci received his first independent painting commission in 1478. Accordingly, St. Saint Bernard will work in the chapel. In 1481 he was appointed to the monastery of San Donato. However, he was unable to complete both paintings as he moved to Milan to work for the Sforza family. Under the auspices of the Sforza family, Leonardo painted his famous painting The Last Supper on the wall of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

5. He was a successful musician

As you can imagine, Leonardo da Vinci, who was successful in everything he undertook, also had a musical talent. According to his own writings, Leonardo believed that music was closely related to the visual arts. The famous artist, who played the lyre and flute, often performed at meetings of the nobility or in their homes. His original writings can be seen in his manuscripts.

6 His Biggest Project Failed By The French

The most important work that Leonardo worked on was the Gran Cavallo, which he commissioned in 1482 for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro. Leonardo, who will make the statue of the duke’s father, Francesco Sforza, also intended to make the work the largest equestrian statue in the world. The famous artist, who spent almost 17 years on this sculpture, unfortunately could not complete his work. The French occupied Milan in 1499. In the meantime, the clay statue was being used by the French for target practice and was smashed.

7. He was a chronic procrastinator

Leonardo was hardly a prolific artist. Due to the abundance of interests, she often failed to complete her paintings and projects. Instead, he spent most of his time in contact with nature, doing scientific experiments or studying the human/animal body.

8. His ideas had little effect on his life.

Despite the fact that Leonardo was highly respected as an artist, Leonardo’s scientific ideas and inventions did not attract the attention of his contemporaries. His discoveries had little impact on the scientific progress of the Renaissance, as he too made little effort to disseminate his knowledge.

9 Sodomy Accusation

Leonardo da Vinci was accused of sodomy in 1476 along with three young men. This was a very serious accusation that could have led to his execution. The charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.

10. Spent his last years in France.

King Francis I of France in 1515 offered Leonardo da Vinci the title of “Chief Painter, Engineer and Architect of the King”. Accepting this offer, the famous artist settled in France, never to return to Italy. Living on a country estate near the palace in the Loire Valley, Leonardo died in 1519 at the age of 67. His body was buried in the cemetery next to his house, but the church was nearly destroyed during the French Revolution. This made it impossible to find the burial place of Leonardo da Vinci.

We have come to the end of our list of unknowns about Leonardo da Vinci! You may also be interested in this content:

9 interesting facts about the famous “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, which you may not have heard

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