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Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2,
1519) was an Italy|Italian Renaissance architect,
musician, anatomist, inventor, engineer, sculptor,
geometer, and painter. He has been described as
the archetype of the "Renaissance man" and as a
universal genius. Leonardo is famous for his
masterly paintings, such as ''The Last Supper
(Leonardo)|The Last Supper'' and ''Mona
Lisa''. He is also known for designing many
inventions that anticipated modern technology,
although few of these designs were constructed in
his lifetime.  In addition, he helped advance the
study of anatomy, astronomy, and civil
engineering.

==Life==

===Personal life===
Leonardo was born in Anchiano, near Vinci, Italy,
the illegitimate child of Ser Piero da Vinci, a
young lawyer, and Caterina, most likely a peasant
girl. It has been suggested, albeit on scanty
evidence, that she was a Middle East|Middle
Eastern slave owned by Piero.

As he was born before modern naming conventions
developed in Europe, his full name was "Leonardo
di ser Piero da Vinci", which means "Leonardo,
son of Sir Piero, from Vinci". Leonardo himself
simply signed his works "Leonardo" or "Io,
Leonardo" ("I, Leonardo").  Most authorities
therefore refer to his works as "Leonardos", not
"da Vincis". Presumably he did not use his
father's name because of his illegitimate
status.

Leonardo grew up with his father in Florence,
where he started drawing and painting. His early
sketches were of such quality that his father soon
showed them to the painter Andrea del Verrocchio,
who subsequently took on the fourteen-year old
Leonardo as an apprentice. In this role, Leonardo
also worked with Lorenzo di Credi and Pietro
Perugino.
:But the greatest of all Andrea's pupils was
Leonardo da Vinci, in whom, besides a beauty of
person never sufficiently admired and a wonderful
grace in all his actions, there was such a power
of intellect that whatever he turned his mind to
he made himself master of with ease ''(Giorgio
Vasari|Vasari).'' 

Later, he became an independent painter in
Florence. 

In 1476, he was accused anonymously, along with
three other men, of sodomy with a 17 year-old
model, Jacopo Saltarelli, who was a notorious male
prostitute. After two months in jail, he was
acquitted because no witnesses stepped forward.
For some time afterwards, Leonardo and the others
were kept under observation by Florence's
Officers of the Night - a kind of Renaissance vice
squad, charged with suppressing the practice of
sodomy, which a majority of male Florentines
engaged in , as shown by surviving
legal records of the Podestà and the Officers of
the Night.

Modern critics contend that Leonardo's love of
boys was well-known even in the sixteenth century.
Rocke reports that in a fictional dialogue on
''l'amore masculino'' (male love) written by
the contemporary art critic and theorist Gian
Paolo Lomazzo, Leonardo appears as one of the
protagonists and declares, "Know that male love
is exclusively the product of virtue which,
joining men together with the diverse affections
of friendship, makes it so that from a tender age
they would enter into the manly one as more
stalwart friends." In the dialogue, the
interlocutor inquires of Leonardo about his
relations with his assistant, Salai, "Did you
play the game from behind which the Florentines
love so much?"

There is no evidence that Leonardo was ever
intimately involved with any woman, nor in a close
friendship with one. Though he kept his private
life particularly secret, it is known that he
surrounded himself with handsome young men
throughout his life, and his art reflects an
appreciation of androgynous beauty (and in at
least one instance, sexuality). It has therefore
been widely assumed that he was a
homosexuality|homosexual.  One
of his lovers is thought to have been Gian Giacomo
Caprotti da Oreno (nicknamed Salai (Little
Devil)). Gian entered Leonardo's household around
1488 at the age of 10, becoming his servant and
assistant for the next thirty years. However some
simply believe that Leonardo was an exceptional
teacher that needed assistants to aid him in his
work and his appreciation of androgynous beauty
was just his fascination with the workings of the
human body.

In 1506, Leonardo met Count Francesco Melzi, the
15 year old son of a Lombard aristocrat. Salai
eventually accepted Melzi's continued presence
and the three undertook various journeys
throughout Italy. Though Salai was always
introduced as Leonardo's "pupil", he never
produced any work of artistic merit. Melzi,
however, became his pupil and life companion. 
Leonardo had many other friends who are now
figures renowned in their fields, or for their
influence on history; these included Niccolò
Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia and Franchinus
Gaffurius.

It is apparent from the works of Leonardo and his
early biographers that he was a man of high
integrity and very sensitive to moral issues. His
respect for life led him to being a vegetarian at
least part of his life (although, the term
'vegan' would fit him well, he even entertained
the notion that taking milk from cows amounts to
stealing. Under the heading, "Of the beasts from
whom cheese is made," he answers, "the milk will
be taken from the tiny children." {{fact}}).
Vasari reports a story that as a young man in
Florence he often bought caged birds just to
release them. He was also a respected judge on
matters of beauty and elegance, particularly in
the creation of pageants. 
image:leonardo_self.jpg|thumb|left|Self-portrait
in red chalk, circa 1512 to 1515

===Professional life===
From around 1482 to 1499, Ludovico Sforza, Duke of
Milan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#ros
siPage33, employed Leonardo and permitted him to
operate his own workshop complete with
apprentices.  It was here that seventy ton|tons of
bronze that had been set aside for Leonardo's
"Gran Cavallo" horse statue (see below) were
cast into weapons for the Duke in an attempt to
save Milan from the France|French under Charles
VIII of France|Charles VIII in 1495.

When the French returned under Louis XII of
France|Louis XII in 1498, Milan fell without a
fight, overthrowing Sforza
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#tra
cyPage41.  Leonardo stayed in Milan for a time,
until one morning when he found French
archery|archers using his life-size clay model of
the "Gran Cavallo" for target practice.  He left
with Salai and his friend Luca Pacioli (the first
man to describe Double-Entry_Booking|double-entry
bookkeeping) for Mantua, moving on after 2 months
to Venice (where he was hired as a military
engineer), then briefly returning to Florence at
the end of April 1500.

In Florence he entered the services of Cesare
Borgia (also called "Duca Valentino", the son of
Pope Alexander VI) as a military architect and
engineer with whom he travelled throughout Italy.
In 1506 he returned to Milan, now in the hands of
Maximilian Sforza after Swiss mercenaries had
driven out the French. 

From 1513 to 1516, he lived in Rome, where
painters like Raffaello Santi|Raphael and
Michelangelo were active at the time, though he
did not have much contact with these artists. 
However, he was probably of pivotal importance in
the relocation of "David", one of
Michelangelo's masterpieces, against the
artist's will.
Image:Leonardo Da Vinci's
house.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Clos Lucé.
In 1515 Francis I of France retook Milan, and
Leonardo was commissioned to make a centrepiece (a
mechanical lion) for the peace talks between the
French Monarch|King and Pope Leo X in Bologna,
where he must have first met the King.  In 1516,
he entered Francis' service, being given the use
of the manor house Clos Lucé (also called "Cl
oux") next to the king's residence at the
Chateau Amboise|Royal Chateau at Amboise.  The
King granted Leonardo and his entourage generous
pensions:  the surviving document lists 1000 écus
for the artist, 400 for Melzi (named
"apprentice") and 100 for Salai (named
"servant").  In 1518 Salai left Leonardo and
returned to Milan, where he eventually perished in
a duel.  Francis became a close friend.

Leonardo da Vinci died at Clos Lucé, France, on
2nd May, 1519.  According to his wish, 60 beggars
followed his casket.  He was buried in the Chapel
of Saint-Hubert in the castle of Amboise.  Melzi
was his principal heir and executor, but Salai was
not forgotten:  he received half of Leonardo's
vineyard.

==Art==

Image:The_Last_Supper_Da_Vinci.jpg|thumb|300px|'
'The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper
(1498)''

Leonardo is well known for his artistry and
paintings, such as ''The Last Supper
(Leonardo)|Last Supper'' (''Ultima Cena'' or
''Cenacolo'', in Milan) 1498, and the ''Mona
Lisa'' (also known as ''La Gioconda'', now
at the Louvre in Paris), 1503-1506. Though there
is significant debate whether Leonardo himself
painted the Mona Lisa, or whether it was the work
of his students, it is known that it was probably
his favorite piece. He most likely kept it with
him at all times, and did not travel without it.
Thousands of people see it each year in the
Louvre, perhaps drawing their own interpretation
on what is known as the Mona Lisa's most infamous
and enigmatic feature - her smile. 

Leonardo often planned grandiose paintings with
many drawings and sketches, only to leave the
projects unfinished. For example, in 1481 he was
commissioned to paint the altarpiece "The
Adoration of the Magi". After extensive,
ambitious plans and many drawings, the painting
was left unfinished and Leonardo left for Milan.
Only seventeen of his paintings and none of his
statues survived.

In Milan he spent 17 years making plans and models
for a monumental seven metre (24 ft) high horse
statue in bronze called "Gran Cavallo". Because
of war with France, the project was never
finished. (In 1999 a pair of full-scale statues
based on his plans were cast, one erected in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, the other in Milan
http://www.leonardoshorse.org/.) The Hunt Museum
in Limerick, Ireland has a small bronze horse,
thought to be the work of an apprentice from
Leonardo's original design.

After returning to Florence, he was commissioned
for a large public mural, the "Battle of
Anghiari"; his rival Michelangelo was to paint
the opposite wall. After producing a fantastic
variety of studies in preparation for the work, he
left the city, with the mural unfinished due to
technical difficulties.

Leonardo pioneered new painting techniques in many
of his pieces. One of them, a colour shading
technique called "Sfumato", used a series of
custom-made glazes by Leonardo. It is
characterized by subtle, almost infinitesimal,
transitions between color areas, creating a
atmospheric haze or smoky effect. "Chiaroscuro"
is the technique of modeling and defining forms
through contrasts of light and shadow.

===List of paintings===
Image:Mona_Lisa.jpeg|thumb|''Mona Lisa
(1503–1505/1506)''
*''Annunciation (Leonardo)|Annunciation''
(1475-1480) - ''Uffizi'', Florence, Italy
*''Ginevra de' Benci'' (~1475) - ''National
Gallery of Art'', Washington DC, U.S.
*''The Benois Madonna'' (1478-1480) -
''Hermitage Museum'', Saint Petersburg|St
Petersburg, Russia
*''The Virgin with Flowers'' (1478-1481) -
''Alte Pinakothek'', Munich, Germany
*''Adoration of the Magi (Leonardo)|Adoration of
the Magi'' (1481) - ''Uffizi'', Florence,
Italy
*''Cecilia Gallerani with an Ermine''
(1488-90) - ''Czartoryski Museum'', Krakow,
Poland 
*''A Musician'' (~1490) - ''Pinacoteca
Ambrosiana'', Milan, Italy
*''Madonna Litta'' (1490-91) - ''Hermitage
Museum'', Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg,
Russia
*''La belle Ferronière'' (1
495-1498) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France 
*''The Last Supper_(Leonardo)|Last Supper'' -
(1498) ''Convent of Sta. Maria delle Grazie'',
Milan, Italy
*''The Madonna of the Rocks'' (1483-86) -
''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''Mona Lisa'' or ''La Gioconda''
(1503-1505/1506) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''The Madonna of the Rocks'' or ''The
Virgin of the Rocks'' (1508) - ''National
Gallery, London'', England
*''Leda and the Swan'' (1508) - (Only copies
survive) ''Galleria Borghese'', Rome, Italy
*''The Virgin and Child with St. Anne''
(~1510) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)|St. John the
Baptist'' (~1514) - ''Louvre'', Paris,
France
*''Bacchus (painting)|Bacchus'' (1515) -
''Louvre'', Paris, France

==Science and engineering==

Perhaps even more impressive than his artistic
work are his studies in science and engineering,
recorded in notebooks comprising some 13,000 pages
of notes and drawings, which fuse art and science.
These notes were made and maintained through
Leonardo's travels through Europe, during which
he made continual observations of the world around
him. He was left-handed and used mirror writing
throughout his life. Explainable by fact that it
is easier to pull a quill pen than to push it; by
using mirror-writing, the left-handed writer is
able to pull the pen from right to left.

His approach to science was an observatory one: he
tried to understand a phenomenon by describing and
depicting it in utmost detail, and did not
emphasize experiments or theoretical explanations.
Throughout his life, he planned a grand
encyclopedia based on detailed drawings of
everything. Since he lacked formal education in
Latin and mathematics, contemporary scholars
mostly ignored Leonardo the scientist.

As did most people at the time, he believed that
the Sun revolved around the Earth, and that the
Moon reflects the sun's light due to its being
covered by water.

===Anatomy===
Image:Vitruvian.jpg|thumb|''Vitruvian
Man''
Leonardo's study of the proportions of
the human body.
Leonardo started to discover the anatomy of the
human body at the time he was apprenticed to
Andrea del Verrocchio, as his teacher insisted
that all his pupils learn anatomy. As he became
successful as an artist, he was given permission
to dissect human corpses at the hospital Santa
Maria Nuova in Florence. Later he dissected also
in Milano in the hospital Maggiore and in Rome in
the hospital Santo Spirito (the first mainland
Italian hospital). From 1510 to 1511 he
collaborated with the doctor Marcantonio della
Torre (1481 to 1511). In 30 years, Leonardo
dissected 30 male and female corpses of different
ages. Together with Marcantonio, he prepared to
publish a theoretical work on anatomy and made
more than 200 drawings. However, his book was
published only in 1580 (long after his death)
under the heading ''Treatise on painting''.

Leonardo drew many images of the human skeleton,
and was the first to describe the double S form of
the backbone. He also studied the inclination of
pelvis and sacrum and stressed that sacrum was not
uniform, but composed of five vertebrae. He was
also able to represent exceptionally well the
human skull and cross-sections of the brain
(transversal, sagittal, and frontal). He drew many
images of the lungs, mesentery, urinary tract, sex
organs, and even coitus. He was one of the firsts
who drew the fetus in the intrauterine position
(he wished to learn about "the miracle of
pregnancy"). He often drew muscles and tendons of
the cervical muscles and of the shoulder. He was a
master of topographic anatomy. He not only studied
the anatomy of human, but also of other beings. It
is important that he was not only interested in
structure but also in function, so he was
anatomist and physiologist at the same time.
Because he actively searched for bodily deformed
people to paint them, he is also considered 
to be the beginner of caricature.

His study of human anatomy led also to the design
of the first known robot in recorded history. The
design, which has come to be called Leonardo's
robot, was probably made around the year 1495 but
was rediscovered only in the 1950s. It is not
known if an attempt was made to build the device.

===Inventions and engineering===

Fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, Leonardo
produced detailed studies of the flight of birds,
and plans for several flying machines, including a
helicopter powered by four men (which would not
have worked since the body of the craft would have
rotated) and a light hang-glider which could have
flown. On January 3, 1496 he unsuccessfully tested
a flying machine he had constructed.

In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci produced a drawing of a
single span 720-foot (240 m) bridge as part of a
civil engineering project for Sultan Beyazid II of
Constantinople. The bridge was intended to span an
inlet at the mouth of the Bosphorus known as the
Golden Horn. It was never built, but Leonardo's
vision was resurrected in 2001 when a Vebjørn Sand
Da Vinci Project|smaller bridge based on his
design was constructed in Norway.

Owing to his sometime employment as a military
engineer, his notebooks also contain several
designs for military machines: machine gun|machine
guns, an armored tank powered by humans or horses,
cluster bombs, etc. even though he later held war
to be the worst of human activities. Other
inventions include a submarine, a cog-wheeled
device that has been interpreted as the first
mechanical calculator, and a automobile|car
powered by a spring mechanism. In his years in the
Vatican, he planned an industrial use of solar
power, by employing concave mirrors to heat
water.

===His notebooks===

Why Leonardo did not publish or otherwise
distribute the contents of his notebooks remains a
mystery to those who believe that Leonardo wanted
to make his observations public knowledge.
Technological historian Lewis Mumford suggests
that Leonardo kept notebooks as a private journal,
intentionally censoring his work from those who
might irresponsibly use it (the tank, for
instance). They remained obscure until the 19th
century, and were not directly of value to the
development of science and technology. In January
2005, researchers discovered the hidden laboratory
used by Leonardo da Vinci for studies of flight
and other pioneering scientific work in previously
sealed rooms at a monastery next to the Basilica
of the Santissima Annunziata, in the heart of
Florence.http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/2005
0117/leonardo.html

While most of Leonardo's inventions were not
realized, many were technologically feasible as it
was demonstrated recently, e.g. his ''tank''
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/sto
ries/2003/03_march/28/leonardo.shtml.

==In fiction==

With the genius and legacy of Leonardo da Vinci
having captivated authors and scholars generations
after his death, the following examples of "Da
Vinci fiction" can be found in culture and
literature.    

* In the Star Trek: Original Series episode
"Requiem for Methuselah", Leonardo da Vinci is
revealed to be one of many aliases to "Flint",
an immortal man born in the year 3834 BC. 
Leonardo's abilities and knowledge are thus
attributed to centuries of scientific and artistic
study.  Leonardo appears again in the Star Trek
universe, in the series Star Trek Voyager, where
his workshop is created as a hologram|holographic
simulation.  Actor James Daly played Flint /
Leonardo in Star Trek: The Original Series, while
John Rhys-Davies portrayed Leonardo in Star Trek
Voyager. Also, in the S.C.E. (Starfleet Corps of
Engineers) novels, the main starship of the series
is called the U.S.S. Da Vinci (NCC-81623), a
Saber-class vessel, named for the artist.
* The 1979 ''Doctor Who'' story ''City of
Death'' features a theft of the ''Mona
Lisa''. The Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor go
es back in time to visit Leonardo's workshop and
claims to be an old acquaintance of the artist.
Leonardo also appears as a character in several
''Doctor Who'' novels.
* Theodore Mathieson's short story "Leonardo Da
Vinci: Detective" portrays him using his genius
to solve a murder during his time in France.
* The novel ''Pasquale's Angel'' by Paul
McAuley, set in an alternate universe Florence,
portrays Leonardo as "the Great Engineer",
creating a premature industrial revolution (see
clockpunk).
* The novel ''The Memory Cathedral'' by Jack
Dann is a fictional account of a "lost year" in
the life of Leonardo. Dann has his genius
protagonist actually create his flying machine.
* The DC Comics ''Elseworlds'' story 
''Black Masterpiece'', in ''Batman
Annual'' #18 shows Leonardo's apprentice
becoming a Renaissance Batman, using the Master's
devices in his war on Florentine crime.
* DC Comics's Vertigo division published a
twelve-issue miniseries about Leonardo and his
apprentice Salai, entitled "Chiaroscuro: The
Private Life of Leonardo da Vinci."
* In the mainstream DC Universe, according to
"Secret Origins" #27, Leonardo is an ancestor of
the famed Freemason Cagliostro, as well as Zatara
and Zatanna who are both magicians (in the Magic
(illusion) and Magic (paranormal) senses) and
Superheroes.
* Terry Pratchett's character Leonard of Quirm is
a pastiche of Leonardo.
* The Dargaud cartoon character Leonard
(comic)|Léonard by Philippe Liegeois|Turk and Bob
de Groot|De Groot.
* Dan Brown's ''The Da Vinci Code'' revolves
around a conspiracy based on elements of
Leonardo's ''Last Supper'' and other works,
claiming that he belonged to the Priory of Sion (a
sect generally regarded as fictitious).
* Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was
named after Leonardo da Vinci.
* The movie ''Ever After'' from 1998 starring
Drew Barrymore and Patrick Godfrey as Leonardo da
Vinci.
* The movie ''Hudson Hawk'' starring Bruce
Willis and Danny Aiello revolves around Leonardo
Da Vinci's inventions.
* Peter Barnes's ''Leonardo's Last Supper''
centers on Leonardo being "resurrected" in a
filthy charnel house after being prematurely
declared dead.
* The cartoon ''The Tick'' features Leonardo
in ''Leonardo DaVinci and his Fightin' Genius
Time Commandos!'' (Season 2, Episode 17, 1995).

==Further reading==
* {{Book reference | Author = Michael J. Gelb |
Title = How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven
Steps to Genius Every Day | Publisher = Delacorte
Press | Year = 1998 | ID = ISBN 0385323816
(paperback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Michael H. Hart |
Title = The 100 | Publisher = Carol Publishing
Group | Year = 1992 | ID = ISBN 0806513500
(paperback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Jean Paul Richter |
Title = The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci |
Publisher = Dover | Year = 1970 | ID = ISBN
0486225720 and ISBN 0486225739 (paperback)}} 2
volumes. A reprint of the original 1883 edition.
* {{Book reference | Author = Frank Zollner &
Johannes Nathan | Title = Leonardo Da Vinci: The
Complete Paintings and Drawings | Publisher =
Taschen | Year = 2003 | ID = ISBN 3822817341
(hardback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Fred Bérence | Title
= Léonard de Vinci, L'homme et son oeuvre |
Publisher = Somogy | Year = 1965 | ID = Dépot
légal 4° trimestre 1965}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Charles Nicholl |
Title = Leonardo da Vinci, The hights of the mind
| Publisher = Penguin | Year = 2005 | ID = ISBN
0-140-29681-6}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Simona Cremante|
Title = Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Scientist,
Inventor| Publisher = Giunti | Year = 2005 | ID =
ISBN 8809038916 (hardback)}}

==See also==
* Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport near
Rome
* Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute, Cairo
* List of painters
* List of Italian painters
* List of famous Italians

==References==

* 
http://print.google.com/prin t?id=whGpOhDi_ioC&pg=19&sig=WBlB5YYOHkVWOL iJfYv1RwF0YIw History of Aerodynamics, John David Anderson, page 19. ISBN 0521669553

* 
http://print.google.com/print?i d=qnLeXBbTyvYC&pg=33&sig=Oy79Vv2KPORO67j5Fjbohrksn -M Birth of Modern Science, Paolo Rossi, page 33. ISBN 0631227113

* 
http://print.google.com/print?i d=tXKMvr09dB4C&pg=41&sig=SCdUPzOjo-9RmU4zuiEBBt1nJ n0 Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War, James D Tracy, page 41. ISBN 0521814316

* 
http://print.google.com/p rint?id=_IOvCIBpM-sC&pg=58&sig=1q4IxqPsVE6l7URDCkv FQkahZdg Algebra in Ancient and Modern Times, V S Varadarajan, page 58. ISBN 082180989X


==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons|Leonardo da Vinci}}
* {{gutenberg
author|id=Leonardo_da_Vinci|name=Leonardo da
Vinci}}
* {{gutenberg|no=7785|name=Leonardo Da Vinci''
by Maurice Walter Brockwell'}}
*http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publi
shing/Vasari_daVinci.htm Vasari:''Life of
Leonardo'': in ''Lives of the Most Eminent
Painters, Sculptors, and Architects''. The
classic ''vita''.
* Jay Meattle:
http://www.hepguru.com/monalisa/introduction.html
The Mona Lisa Exposed
*http://www.aiwaz.net/Leonardo/ Alternative views
on Leonardo da Vinci
*http://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/leon
ardo.html Leonardo da Vinci on the web page of the
Italian National Museum of Science and Technology
Leonardo da Vinci
*http://www.geocities.com/qubestrader/davinci.html
The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
*http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisati
on.html Some digitized notebook pages with
explanations from the British Library (Macromedia
Shockwave format, slowly working)
*http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo BBC
Leonardo homepage
*
http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/lastsupper.htm
l Analysis of Leonardo's paintings and their
riddles - in the context of Dan Brown's novel The
Da Vinci Code
*http://www.vebjorn-sand.com/thebridge.htm The
Leonardo Bridge Project
*http://www.leonardoshorse.org Leonardo's Horse
*http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Leonardo_Master_
Draftsman/draftsman_splash.htm Leonardo da Vinci,
Master Draftsman
*http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/denunciation.html
Anonymous accusation of homosexuality
*http://www.leonardo.boa-web.org/ Leonardo da
Vinci Homepage
*http://www.visi.com/~reuteler/leonardo.html
Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci
*http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/leonardo/
Web Gallery of Art
*http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/ingrin/index.html
Leonardo and the Renaissance engineers from
http://www.imss.fi.it/ Institute and Museum of the
History of Science
*http://www.leonardoamilano.org/en/ Leonardo's
artworks now visible in Milan
*http://www.amuseyourself.com/goodreads/leonardoda
vinci/index.html Leonardo da Vinci 
Illustrated biography with ruminations on
alternative interpretations of subliminal meanings
in Leonardo's art (including the ubiquitous
"John gesture"), conjecture on his personal
life, and the "Priory of Sion" / "Da Vinci
Code."
*http://www.ivu.org/history/davinci/hurwitz.html
International Vegetarian Union - about Leonardo's
vegetarianism and his stance to animals.
*http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/monalisa/ Mona
Lisa on the Web directory with 475 parodies and
other versions
*http://www.3wheelers.com/leonardo.html
Leonardo's 3-wheeled vehicle on 3-wheelers.com



Category:Leonardo da Vinci
Category:1452 births|Vinci, Leonardo da
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da{{redirect|Leonardo}}
Image:Leonardo da Vinci.jpeg|thumb|Leonardo da
Vinci
'''Leonardo da Vinci''' (April 15, 1452
– May 2, 1519) was an Italy|Italian
Renaissance architect, musician, anatomist,
inventor, engineer, sculptor, geometer, and
painter. He has been described as the archetype of
the "Renaissance man" and as a universal genius.
Leonardo is famous for his masterly paintings,
such as ''The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last
Supper'' and ''Mona Lisa''. He is also known
for designing many inventions that anticipated
modern technology, although few of these designs
were constructed in his lifetime.  In addition, he
helped advance the study of anatomy, astronomy,
and civil engineering.

==Life==

===Personal life===
Leonardo was born in Anchiano, near Vinci, Italy,
the illegitimate child of Ser Piero da Vinci, a
young lawyer, and Caterina, most likely a peasant
girl. It has been suggested, albeit on scanty
evidence, that she was a Middle East|Middle
Eastern slave owned by Piero.

As he was born before modern naming conventions
developed in Europe, his full name was "Leonardo
di ser Piero da Vinci", which means "Leonardo,
son of Sir Piero, from Vinci". Leonardo himself
simply signed his works "Leonardo" or "Io,
Leonardo" ("I, Leonardo").  Most authorities
therefore refer to his works as "Leonardos", not
"da Vincis". Presumably he did not use his
father's name because of his illegitimate
status.

Leonardo grew up with his father in Florence,
where he started drawing and painting. His early
sketches were of such quality that his father soon
showed them to the painter Andrea del Verrocchio,
who subsequently took on the fourteen-year old
Leonardo as an apprentice. In this role, Leonardo
also worked with Lorenzo di Credi and Pietro
Perugino.
:But the greatest of all Andrea's pupils was
Leonardo da Vinci, in whom, besides a beauty of
person never sufficiently admired and a wonderful
grace in all his actions, there was such a power
of intellect that whatever he turned his mind to
he made himself master of with ease ''(Giorgio
Vasari|Vasari).'' 

Later, he became an independent painter in
Florence. 

In 1476, he was accused anonymously, along with
three other men, of sodomy with a 17 year-old
model, Jacopo Saltarelli, who was a notorious male
prostitute. After two months in jail, he was
acquitted because no witnesses stepped forward.
For some time afterwards, Leonardo and the others
were kept under observation by Florence's
Officers of the Night - a kind of Renaissance vice
squad, charged with suppressing the practice of
sodomy, which a majority of male Florentines
engaged in , as shown by surviving
legal records of the Podestà and the Officers of
the Night.

Modern critics contend that Leonardo's love of
boys was well-known even in the sixteenth century.
Rocke reports that in a fictional dialogue on
''l'amore masculino'' (male love) written by
the contemporary art critic and theorist Gian
Paolo Lomazzo, Leonardo appears as one of the
protagonists and declares, "Know that male love
is exclusively the product of virtue which,
joining men together with the diverse affections
of friendship, makes it so that from a tender age
they would enter into the manly one as more
stalwart friends." In the dialogue, the
interlocutor inquires of Leonardo about his
relations with his assistant, Salai, "Did you
play the game from behind which the Florentines
love so much?"

There is no evidence that Leonardo was ever
intimately involved with any woman, nor in a close
friendship with one. Though he kept his private
life particularly secret, it is known that he
surrounded himself with handsome young men
throughout his life, and his art reflects an
appreciation of androgynous beauty (and in at
least one instance, sexuality). It has therefore
been widely assumed that he was a
homosexuality|homosexual.  One
 of his lovers is thought to have been Gian
Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno (nicknamed Salai (Little
Devil)). Gian entered Leonardo's household around
1488 at the age of 10, becoming his servant and
assistant for the next thirty years. However some
simply believe that Leonardo was an exceptional
teacher that needed assistants to aid him in his
work and his appreciation of androgynous beauty
was just his fascination with the workings of the
human body.

In 1506, Leonardo met Count Francesco Melzi, the
15 year old son of a Lombard aristocrat. Salai
eventually accepted Melzi's continued presence
and the three undertook various journeys
throughout Italy. Though Salai was always
introduced as Leonardo's "pupil", he never
produced any work of artistic merit. Melzi,
however, became his pupil and life companion. 
Leonardo had many other friends who are now
figures renowned in their fields, or for their
influence on history; these included Niccolò
Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia and Franchinus
Gaffurius.

It is apparent from the works of Leonardo and his
early biographers that he was a man of high
integrity and very sensitive to moral issues. His
respect for life led him to being a vegetarian at
least part of his life (although, the term
'vegan' would fit him well, he even entertained
the notion that taking milk from cows amounts to
stealing. Under the heading, "Of the beasts from
whom cheese is made," he answers, "the milk will
be taken from the tiny children." {{fact}}).
Vasari reports a story that as a young man in
Florence he often bought caged birds just to
release them. He was also a respected judge on
matters of beauty and elegance, particularly in
the creation of pageants. 
image:leonardo_self.jpg|thumb|left|Self-portrait
in red chalk, circa 1512 to 1515

===Professional life===
From around 1482 to 1499, Ludovico Sforza, Duke of
Milan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#ros
siPage33, employed Leonardo and permitted him to
operate his own workshop complete with
apprentices.  It was here that seventy ton|tons of
bronze that had been set aside for Leonardo's
"Gran Cavallo" horse statue (see below) were
cast into weapons for the Duke in an attempt to
save Milan from the France|French under Charles
VIII of France|Charles VIII in 1495.

When the French returned under Louis XII of
France|Louis XII in 1498, Milan fell without a
fight, overthrowing Sforza
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#tra
cyPage41.  Leonardo stayed in Milan for a time,
until one morning when he found French
archery|archers using his life-size clay model of
the "Gran Cavallo" for target practice.  He left
with Salai and his friend Luca Pacioli (the first
man to describe Double-Entry_Booking|double-entry
bookkeeping) for Mantua, moving on after 2 months
to Venice (where he was hired as a military
engineer), then briefly returning to Florence at
the end of April 1500.

In Florence he entered the services of Cesare
Borgia (also called "Duca Valentino", the son of
Pope Alexander VI) as a military architect and
engineer with whom he travelled throughout Italy.
In 1506 he returned to Milan, now in the hands of
Maximilian Sforza after Swiss mercenaries had
driven out the French. 

From 1513 to 1516, he lived in Rome, where
painters like Raffaello Santi|Raphael and
Michelangelo were active at the time, though he
did not have much contact with these artists. 
However, he was probably of pivotal importance in
the relocation of "David", one of
Michelangelo's masterpieces, against the
artist's will.
Image:Leonardo Da Vinci's
house.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Clos Lucé.
In 1515 Francis I of France retook Milan, and
Leonardo was commissioned to make a centrepiece (a
mechanical lion) for the peace talks between the
French Monarch|King and Pope Leo X in Bologna,
where he must have first met the King.  In 1516,
he entered Francis' service, being given the use
of the manor house Clos Lucé (also called "Cl
oux") next to the king's residence at the
Chateau Amboise|Royal Chateau at Amboise.  The
King granted Leonardo and his entourage generous
pensions:  the surviving document lists 1000 écus
for the artist, 400 for Melzi (named
"apprentice") and 100 for Salai (named
"servant").  In 1518 Salai left Leonardo and
returned to Milan, where he eventually perished in
a duel.  Francis became a close friend.

Leonardo da Vinci died at Clos Lucé, France, on
2nd May, 1519.  According to his wish, 60 beggars
followed his casket.  He was buried in the Chapel
of Saint-Hubert in the castle of Amboise.  Melzi
was his principal heir and executor, but Salai was
not forgotten:  he received half of Leonardo's
vineyard.

==Art==

Image:The_Last_Supper_Da_Vinci.jpg|thumb|300px|'
'The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper
(1498)''

Leonardo is well known for his artistry and
paintings, such as ''The Last Supper
(Leonardo)|Last Supper'' (''Ultima Cena'' or
''Cenacolo'', in Milan) 1498, and the ''Mona
Lisa'' (also known as ''La Gioconda'', now
at the Louvre in Paris), 1503-1506. Though there
is significant debate whether Leonardo himself
painted the Mona Lisa, or whether it was the work
of his students, it is known that it was probably
his favorite piece. He most likely kept it with
him at all times, and did not travel without it.
Thousands of people see it each year in the
Louvre, perhaps drawing their own interpretation
on what is known as the Mona Lisa's most infamous
and enigmatic feature - her smile. 

Leonardo often planned grandiose paintings with
many drawings and sketches, only to leave the
projects unfinished. For example, in 1481 he was
commissioned to paint the altarpiece "The
Adoration of the Magi". After extensive,
ambitious plans and many drawings, the painting
was left unfinished and Leonardo left for Milan.
Only seventeen of his paintings and none of his
statues survived.

In Milan he spent 17 years making plans and models
for a monumental seven metre (24 ft) high horse
statue in bronze called "Gran Cavallo". Because
of war with France, the project was never
finished. (In 1999 a pair of full-scale statues
based on his plans were cast, one erected in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, the other in Milan
http://www.leonardoshorse.org/.) The Hunt Museum
in Limerick, Ireland has a small bronze horse,
thought to be the work of an apprentice from
Leonardo's original design.

After returning to Florence, he was commissioned
for a large public mural, the "Battle of
Anghiari"; his rival Michelangelo was to paint
the opposite wall. After producing a fantastic
variety of studies in preparation for the work, he
left the city, with the mural unfinished due to
technical difficulties.

Leonardo pioneered new painting techniques in many
of his pieces. One of them, a colour shading
technique called "Sfumato", used a series of
custom-made glazes by Leonardo. It is
characterized by subtle, almost infinitesimal,
transitions between color areas, creating a
atmospheric haze or smoky effect. "Chiaroscuro"
is the technique of modeling and defining forms
through contrasts of light and shadow.

===List of paintings===
Image:Mona_Lisa.jpeg|thumb|''Mona Lisa
(1503–1505/1506)''
*''Annunciation (Leonardo)|Annunciation''
(1475-1480) - ''Uffizi'', Florence, Italy
*''Ginevra de' Benci'' (~1475) - ''National
Gallery of Art'', Washington DC, U.S.
*''The Benois Madonna'' (1478-1480) -
''Hermitage Museum'', Saint Petersburg|St
Petersburg, Russia
*''The Virgin with Flowers'' (1478-1481) -
''Alte Pinakothek'', Munich, Germany
*''Adoration of the Magi (Leonardo)|Adoration of
the Magi'' (1481) - ''Uffizi'', Florence,
Italy
*''Cecilia Gallerani with an Ermine''
(1488-90) - ''Czartoryski Museum'', Krakow,
Poland 
*''A Musician'' (~1490) - ''Pinacoteca
Ambrosiana'', Milan, Italy
*''Madonna Litta'' (1490-91) - ''Hermitage
Museum'', Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg,
Russia
*''La belle Ferronière'' (1
495-1498) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France 
*''The Last Supper_(Leonardo)|Last Supper'' -
(1498) ''Convent of Sta. Maria delle Grazie'',
Milan, Italy
*''The Madonna of the Rocks'' (1483-86) -
''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''Mona Lisa'' or ''La Gioconda''
(1503-1505/1506) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''The Madonna of the Rocks'' or ''The
Virgin of the Rocks'' (1508) - ''National
Gallery, London'', England
*''Leda and the Swan'' (1508) - (Only copies
survive) ''Galleria Borghese'', Rome, Italy
*''The Virgin and Child with St. Anne''
(~1510) - ''Louvre'', Paris, France
*''St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)|St. John the
Baptist'' (~1514) - ''Louvre'', Paris,
France
*''Bacchus (painting)|Bacchus'' (1515) -
''Louvre'', Paris, France

==Science and engineering==

Perhaps even more impressive than his artistic
work are his studies in science and engineering,
recorded in notebooks comprising some 13,000 pages
of notes and drawings, which fuse art and science.
These notes were made and maintained through
Leonardo's travels through Europe, during which
he made continual observations of the world around
him. He was left-handed and used mirror writing
throughout his life. Explainable by fact that it
is easier to pull a quill pen than to push it; by
using mirror-writing, the left-handed writer is
able to pull the pen from right to left.

His approach to science was an observatory one: he
tried to understand a phenomenon by describing and
depicting it in utmost detail, and did not
emphasize experiments or theoretical explanations.
Throughout his life, he planned a grand
encyclopedia based on detailed drawings of
everything. Since he lacked formal education in
Latin and mathematics, contemporary scholars
mostly ignored Leonardo the scientist.

As did most people at the time, he believed that
the Sun revolved around the Earth, and that the
Moon reflects the sun's light due to its being
covered by water.

===Anatomy===
Image:Vitruvian.jpg|thumb|''Vitruvian
Man''
Leonardo's study of the proportions of
the human body.
Leonardo started to discover the anatomy of the
human body at the time he was apprenticed to
Andrea del Verrocchio, as his teacher insisted
that all his pupils learn anatomy. As he became
successful as an artist, he was given permission
to dissect human corpses at the hospital Santa
Maria Nuova in Florence. Later he dissected also
in Milano in the hospital Maggiore and in Rome in
the hospital Santo Spirito (the first mainland
Italian hospital). From 1510 to 1511 he
collaborated with the doctor Marcantonio della
Torre (1481 to 1511). In 30 years, Leonardo
dissected 30 male and female corpses of different
ages. Together with Marcantonio, he prepared to
publish a theoretical work on anatomy and made
more than 200 drawings. However, his book was
published only in 1580 (long after his death)
under the heading ''Treatise on painting''.

Leonardo drew many images of the human skeleton,
and was the first to describe the double S form of
the backbone. He also studied the inclination of
pelvis and sacrum and stressed that sacrum was not
uniform, but composed of five vertebrae. He was
also able to represent exceptionally well the
human skull and cross-sections of the brain
(transversal, sagittal, and frontal). He drew many
images of the lungs, mesentery, urinary tract, sex
organs, and even coitus. He was one of the firsts
who drew the fetus in the intrauterine position
(he wished to learn about "the miracle of
pregnancy"). He often drew muscles and tendons of
the cervical muscles and of the shoulder. He was a
master of topographic anatomy. He not only studied
the anatomy of human, but also of other beings. It
is important that he was not only interested in
structure but also in function, so he was
anatomist and physiologist at the same time.
Because he actively searched for bodily deformed
people to paint them, he is also considered 
to be the beginner of caricature.

His study of human anatomy led also to the design
of the first known robot in recorded history. The
design, which has come to be called Leonardo's
robot, was probably made around the year 1495 but
was rediscovered only in the 1950s. It is not
known if an attempt was made to build the device.

===Inventions and engineering===

Fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, Leonardo
produced detailed studies of the flight of birds,
and plans for several flying machines, including a
helicopter powered by four men (which would not
have worked since the body of the craft would have
rotated) and a light hang-glider which could have
flown. On January 3, 1496 he unsuccessfully tested
a flying machine he had constructed.

In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci produced a drawing of a
single span 720-foot (240 m) bridge as part of a
civil engineering project for Sultan Beyazid II of
Constantinople. The bridge was intended to span an
inlet at the mouth of the Bosphorus known as the
Golden Horn. It was never built, but Leonardo's
vision was resurrected in 2001 when a Vebjørn Sand
Da Vinci Project|smaller bridge based on his
design was constructed in Norway.

Owing to his sometime employment as a military
engineer, his notebooks also contain several
designs for military machines: machine gun|machine
guns, an armored tank powered by humans or horses,
cluster bombs, etc. even though he later held war
to be the worst of human activities. Other
inventions include a submarine, a cog-wheeled
device that has been interpreted as the first
mechanical calculator, and a automobile|car
powered by a spring mechanism. In his years in the
Vatican, he planned an industrial use of solar
power, by employing concave mirrors to heat
water.

===His notebooks===

Why Leonardo did not publish or otherwise
distribute the contents of his notebooks remains a
mystery to those who believe that Leonardo wanted
to make his observations public knowledge.
Technological historian Lewis Mumford suggests
that Leonardo kept notebooks as a private journal,
intentionally censoring his work from those who
might irresponsibly use it (the tank, for
instance). They remained obscure until the 19th
century, and were not directly of value to the
development of science and technology. In January
2005, researchers discovered the hidden laboratory
used by Leonardo da Vinci for studies of flight
and other pioneering scientific work in previously
sealed rooms at a monastery next to the Basilica
of the Santissima Annunziata, in the heart of
Florence.http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/2005
0117/leonardo.html

While most of Leonardo's inventions were not
realized, many were technologically feasible as it
was demonstrated recently, e.g. his ''tank''
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/sto
ries/2003/03_march/28/leonardo.shtml.

==In fiction==

With the genius and legacy of Leonardo da Vinci
having captivated authors and scholars generations
after his death, the following examples of "Da
Vinci fiction" can be found in culture and
literature.    

* In the Star Trek: Original Series episode
"Requiem for Methuselah", Leonardo da Vinci is
revealed to be one of many aliases to "Flint",
an immortal man born in the year 3834 BC. 
Leonardo's abilities and knowledge are thus
attributed to centuries of scientific and artistic
study.  Leonardo appears again in the Star Trek
universe, in the series Star Trek Voyager, where
his workshop is created as a hologram|holographic
simulation.  Actor James Daly played Flint /
Leonardo in Star Trek: The Original Series, while
John Rhys-Davies portrayed Leonardo in Star Trek
Voyager. Also, in the S.C.E. (Starfleet Corps of
Engineers) novels, the main starship of the series
is called the U.S.S. Da Vinci (NCC-81623), a
Saber-class vessel, named for the artist.
* The 1979 ''Doctor Who'' story ''City of
Death'' features a theft of the ''Mona
Lisa''. The Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor go
es back in time to visit Leonardo's workshop and
claims to be an old acquaintance of the artist.
Leonardo also appears as a character in several
''Doctor Who'' novels.
* Theodore Mathieson's short story "Leonardo Da
Vinci: Detective" portrays him using his genius
to solve a murder during his time in France.
* The novel ''Pasquale's Angel'' by Paul
McAuley, set in an alternate universe Florence,
portrays Leonardo as "the Great Engineer",
creating a premature industrial revolution (see
clockpunk).
* The novel ''The Memory Cathedral'' by Jack
Dann is a fictional account of a "lost year" in
the life of Leonardo. Dann has his genius
protagonist actually create his flying machine.
* The DC Comics ''Elseworlds'' story 
''Black Masterpiece'', in ''Batman
Annual'' #18 shows Leonardo's apprentice
becoming a Renaissance Batman, using the Master's
devices in his war on Florentine crime.
* DC Comics's Vertigo division published a
twelve-issue miniseries about Leonardo and his
apprentice Salai, entitled "Chiaroscuro: The
Private Life of Leonardo da Vinci."
* In the mainstream DC Universe, according to
"Secret Origins" #27, Leonardo is an ancestor of
the famed Freemason Cagliostro, as well as Zatara
and Zatanna who are both magicians (in the Magic
(illusion) and Magic (paranormal) senses) and
Superheroes.
* Terry Pratchett's character Leonard of Quirm is
a pastiche of Leonardo.
* The Dargaud cartoon character Leonard
(comic)|Léonard by Philippe Liegeois|Turk and Bob
de Groot|De Groot.
* Dan Brown's ''The Da Vinci Code'' revolves
around a conspiracy based on elements of
Leonardo's ''Last Supper'' and other works,
claiming that he belonged to the Priory of Sion (a
sect generally regarded as fictitious).
* Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was
named after Leonardo da Vinci.
* The movie ''Ever After'' from 1998 starring
Drew Barrymore and Patrick Godfrey as Leonardo da
Vinci.
* The movie ''Hudson Hawk'' starring Bruce
Willis and Danny Aiello revolves around Leonardo
Da Vinci's inventions.
* Peter Barnes's ''Leonardo's Last Supper''
centers on Leonardo being "resurrected" in a
filthy charnel house after being prematurely
declared dead.
* The cartoon ''The Tick'' features Leonardo
in ''Leonardo DaVinci and his Fightin' Genius
Time Commandos!'' (Season 2, Episode 17, 1995).

==Further reading==
* {{Book reference | Author = Michael J. Gelb |
Title = How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven
Steps to Genius Every Day | Publisher = Delacorte
Press | Year = 1998 | ID = ISBN 0385323816
(paperback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Michael H. Hart |
Title = The 100 | Publisher = Carol Publishing
Group | Year = 1992 | ID = ISBN 0806513500
(paperback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Jean Paul Richter |
Title = The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci |
Publisher = Dover | Year = 1970 | ID = ISBN
0486225720 and ISBN 0486225739 (paperback)}} 2
volumes. A reprint of the original 1883 edition.
* {{Book reference | Author = Frank Zollner &
Johannes Nathan | Title = Leonardo Da Vinci: The
Complete Paintings and Drawings | Publisher =
Taschen | Year = 2003 | ID = ISBN 3822817341
(hardback)}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Fred Bérence | Title
= Léonard de Vinci, L'homme et son oeuvre |
Publisher = Somogy | Year = 1965 | ID = Dépot
légal 4° trimestre 1965}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Charles Nicholl |
Title = Leonardo da Vinci, The hights of the mind
| Publisher = Penguin | Year = 2005 | ID = ISBN
0-140-29681-6}}
* {{Book reference | Author = Simona Cremante|
Title = Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Scientist,
Inventor| Publisher = Giunti | Year = 2005 | ID =
ISBN 8809038916 (hardback)}}

==See also==
* Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport near
Rome
* Leonardo da Vinci Art Institute, Cairo
* List of painters
* List of Italian painters
* List of famous Italians

==References==

* 
http://print.google.com/prin t?id=whGpOhDi_ioC&pg=19&sig=WBlB5YYOHkVWOL iJfYv1RwF0YIw History of Aerodynamics, John David Anderson, page 19. ISBN 0521669553

* 
http://print.google.com/print?i d=qnLeXBbTyvYC&pg=33&sig=Oy79Vv2KPORO67j5Fjbohrksn -M Birth of Modern Science, Paolo Rossi, page 33. ISBN 0631227113

* 
http://print.google.com/print?i d=tXKMvr09dB4C&pg=41&sig=SCdUPzOjo-9RmU4zuiEBBt1nJ n0 Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War, James D Tracy, page 41. ISBN 0521814316

* 
http://print.google.com/p rint?id=_IOvCIBpM-sC&pg=58&sig=1q4IxqPsVE6l7URDCkv FQkahZdg Algebra in Ancient and Modern Times, V S Varadarajan, page 58. ISBN 082180989X


==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons|Leonardo da Vinci}}
* {{gutenberg
author|id=Leonardo_da_Vinci|name=Leonardo da
Vinci}}
* {{gutenberg|no=7785|name=Leonardo Da Vinci''
by Maurice Walter Brockwell'}}
*http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publi
shing/Vasari_daVinci.htm Vasari:''Life of
Leonardo'': in ''Lives of the Most Eminent
Painters, Sculptors, and Architects''. The
classic ''vita''.
* Jay Meattle:
http://www.hepguru.com/monalisa/introduction.html
The Mona Lisa Exposed
*http://www.aiwaz.net/Leonardo/ Alternative views
on Leonardo da Vinci
*http://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/leon
ardo.html Leonardo da Vinci on the web page of the
Italian National Museum of Science and Technology
Leonardo da Vinci
*http://www.geocities.com/qubestrader/davinci.html
The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
*http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisati
on.html Some digitized notebook pages with
explanations from the British Library (Macromedia
Shockwave format, slowly working)
*http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo BBC
Leonardo homepage
*
http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/lastsupper.htm
l Analysis of Leonardo's paintings and their
riddles - in the context of Dan Brown's novel The
Da Vinci Code
*http://www.vebjorn-sand.com/thebridge.htm The
Leonardo Bridge Project
*http://www.leonardoshorse.org Leonardo's Horse
*http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Leonardo_Master_
Draftsman/draftsman_splash.htm Leonardo da Vinci,
Master Draftsman
*http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/denunciation.html
Anonymous accusation of homosexuality
*http://www.leonardo.boa-web.org/ Leonardo da
Vinci Homepage
*http://www.visi.com/~reuteler/leonardo.html
Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci
*http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/leonardo/
Web Gallery of Art
*http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/ingrin/index.html
Leonardo and the Renaissance engineers from
http://www.imss.fi.it/ Institute and Museum of the
History of Science
*http://www.leonardoamilano.org/en/ Leonardo's
artworks now visible in Milan
*http://www.amuseyourself.com/goodreads/leonardoda
vinci/index.html Leonardo da Vinci 
Illustrated biography with ruminations on
alternative interpretations of subliminal meanings
in Leonardo's art (including the ubiquitous
"John gesture"), conjecture on his personal
life, and the "Priory of Sion" / "Da Vinci
Code."
*http://www.ivu.org/history/davinci/hurwitz.html
International Vegetarian Union - about Leonardo's
vegetarianism and his stance to animals.
*http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/monalisa/ Mona
Lisa on the Web directory with 475 parodies and
other versions
*http://www.3wheelers.com/leonardo.html
Leonardo's 3-wheeled vehicle on 3-wheelers.com