Here are just a few quick background facts on the very famous Leonardo da Vinci!
-He was the son of a young notary and a farm girl but they both married other people outside of their social circles shortly after Da Vinci’s birth
-Da Vinci was adopted into his fathers household due to the fact his stepmother remained childless
-Leonardo seemed to be unlike his father in that he was a very poor and distracted student
-After some years Leonardo decided to quit his formal schooling and went on to be apprenticed to the famous Florentine sculptor Andrea de Verrochio
-By 1478 Leonardo had become an independent master and was hired into the court of Ludovico Sforza (Duke of Milan) at 30 years old
-Here Da Vinci served as a painter, sculptor, musician, architect, and engineer. It is easy to see that Da Vinci was indeed a man of all trades.
-In addition, Da Vinci also served as the principal engineer in the Duke’s numerous military endeavors.
-However, Leonardo eventually returned to Florence in 1499 when the Duke’s family was driven from Milan by the French forces.
- A few short years later in 1502, Leonardo entered into yet another service, this time for Duke Ceasare Borgia and Da Vinci worked as his chief architect and engineer.
-It was here that Da Vinci completed many of his both art and architectural works
-A fan of his artwork, as most men were, the French governor summoned him Da Vinci back to Milan in 1506
-Once in Milan, Leonardo became the court painter to King Louis XII of France who had taken Milan from the previous rulers, the Sforzas
- Although he was summoned there mainly for his talent with art, Leonardo still continued to work on his many engineering projects during this time