Historical Profile - Leonardo da Vinci- A Genius and Jack of All Trades

 

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Biography  

Born: April 15, 1452   

Died: May 2, 1519 (Age 67)   

Art Period: Renaissance  

Famous for: Mostly his art. Examples include “Mona Lisa” and “The Virgin on the Rocks”. My personal favorite is “La Scapigliata”; it reminds me of one of my favorite movies.   

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Leonardo Da Vinci is a name known across the board by multitudes, whether they are art enthusiasts or not. He was not only one of the famous master artists of the Renaissance, but also an inventor, engineer, and scientist. And an uncertified genius.   

Despite his now worldwide fame, Da Vinci’s beginnings were unpretentious to say the least. As the illegitimate son of a Florentine notary, he was given a basic elementary education for the time, but with the expectation he would make his own way in the world. Learning was something that Da Vinci held in high regard throughout his life. For example, he taught himself advanced mathematics in his 30’s! Whenever he became interested in a certain topic, he would learn everything he could, conduct experiments, and speak with learned professionals.   

At the age of 15, Da Vinci’s father found him an apprenticeship with a well-known artist named Andrea del Verrocchio. Leonardo’s artistic talent, prevalent since his youth, flourished under the expert tutelage he received at Verrocchio’s workshop. He was soon promoted to paint the backgrounds for some of his master’s works.   

His next milestone came when Verrocchio allowed him to paint the two angels holding Christ’s robes in his new work “Baptism of Church”. When Verrocchio saw the results, he reportedly broke his paintbrush in half, exclaiming “The student has surpassed the master. I can teach you no more.” He chose to remain at Verrocchio’s workshop until 1479, despite the fact he had been accepted by a prestigious Florence guild.   

  

(Image from Wikipedia) “Baptism of Christ”, (1474-1475).  

 

His Paintings:   

Leonardo Da Vinci is known best for his paintings, in fact, the Mona Lisa is arguably the most recognizable painting in the world. An estimated nine million people travel to the Louvre every year to see the elegant lady and her mysterious smile. She appears on the covers of art books-a symbol of fine art. There is even a conspiracy that Da Vinci hid code in her gaze. Though no evidence exists in favor of that theory, I believe it is in tune with Da Vinci's character to do something like that.   

His paintings are products of their time, showing hints of Classicism, liner perspective, often with religious subjects not unlike many Renaissance art. However, Da Vinci also had an interest in the anatomy of the human body and that knowledge helped him create unmatched realism in his works. Setting him apart from his peers.  

Da Vinci used a variety of different mediums from charcoal and silverpoint to oil paint and tempera (a paint created by mixing egg whites with pigment). He used different surfaces as well from popular wood (example: The Mona Lisa), canvas, and fresco.   

  

(Image from Wikipedia) “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne”, (1501-1519) retouched.  

 

His Scientific Studies:   

Along with his love of painting, Da Vinci also studied sciences as well. According to a Forbes article, “Over the course of his life, Da Vinci filled more than seven thousand notebook pages with sketches and writing” (Amsen). His dissections of remains helped him create an extensive knowledge of anatomy and how to make a body appear natural. His notebooks contain detailed drawings of the workings of the human body, which were a mystery to the people of the day. However, Da Vinci never shared his drawings with anyone, as he was a very private person and undertook his research in a rather clandestine way. “Human dissection was not prohibited by the Church, as is often assumed. Doctors occasionally performed autopsies to investigate the cause of a mysterious death, and public dissections – usually of executed criminals – were staged by the medical schools of Italy’s universities” (Clayton). But Da Vinci completed around thirty dissections in his lifetime, though later he received a special grant from the Pope.   

  

(Image from Wikipedia) Investigating the motion of the arm (1510).   

 

As a prominent man who bumped shoulders daily with influential members of society, if he had chosen to advance his discoveries, medicine could have been advanced by a few centuries.   

He studied botany as well, and a few of his paintings hold flora and fauna that can be identified easily by botanists today. He learned the fine points of mixing chemicals and pigments for vibrant paint colors. Though it is easy to attribute his scientific studies to Da Vinci’s simple wish to improve his craft, that is not entirely true. Da Vinci held a genuine interest in everything he researched and analyzed.  

 

His Inventions:   

Whenever you think you have reached the end of his diversity and widespread knowledge, we are met by more treasured chests. For Leonardo da Vinci also enjoyed engineering, mechanics and, especially, flight. Creating detailed designs of a parachute, Aerial Screw (Helicopter), and many more. (Check out this amazing article for more information. Leonardo also worked with a famous warlord, Cesare Borgia, to create designs for several war machines. Even a robotic knight, which could move independently with the help of an ingenious system of pulleys and cables.  

 

Conclusion:  

Leonardo da Vinci had many patrons over the course of his career. It was common during the Renaissance period for any artist to have a noble or king fund their enterprises. In exchange, the artist was often called to put aside their private projects and create art for their master and his family.   

For instance, Da Vinci painted “Lady with an Ermine” for Ludovico Sforza, the woman in the portrait is believed to be the beautiful Cecilia Gallerani, Sforza’s mistress.   

  

(Image from Wikipedia) “Lady with an Ermine” (1489-1491)   

 

He would travel between Milian and Florence for most of his career. And even visited the city of Rome between 1513-16, a pilgrim sight for any artists of the day. Leonardo spent his last years in France under the patronage of King Francis I (France). He died at the age of 67 and was buried in Cloux. During the French Revolution, the grave’s marker disappeared and location is no longer known.   

And so, one of the most intelligent and influential men of the Renaissance era slipped from this world as quietly as he had entered. But he was not doomed to obscurity like so many, even five hundred years later people still knew the name, Leonardo da Vinci.   

What I learned from Leonardo Da Vinci:  

Never stop improving your mind and collecting knowledge. If something interests you, explore! Don’t hold back because you are afraid to try. In the end, which is worse, never trying and always wondering what could have been. Or putting yourself out there and maybe be known centuries from now. Though don’t make your goal fame either.   

I would love to hear what you learned from this historical profile. What surprised you the most?  

See you in the comments!   

Nessie.   

 

 

Possible Sources 

Amsen, Eva. “Leonardo Da Vinci’s Scientific Studies, 500 Years Later.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaamsen/2019/05/02/leonardo-da-vincis-scientific-studies-500-years-later/. 

Heydenreich, Ludwig Heinrich. “Leonardo da Vinci.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci.  

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Inventions. “Leonardo da Vinci: An Inventor Ahead of His Time”. https://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/.  

Da Vinci, Leonardo and Verrocchio, Andrea del. “The Baptism of Christ.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baptism_of_Christ_(Verrocchio_and_Leonardo). Accessed 30 March 2026.  

Da Vinci, Leonardo. “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_and_Child_with_Saint_Anne_(Leonardo). Accessed 30 March 2026.  

Da Vinci, Leonardo. “Science and Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_inventions_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci#/media/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_RCIN_919000,_Verso_The_bones_and_muscles_of_the_arm_c.1510-11.jpg. Accessed 30 March 2026.  

Da Vinci, Leonardo. “Lady with an Ermine.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_with_an_Ermine. Accessed 30 March 2026.  

               Shearer, Rob. “Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation.” Greenleaf Press, 1996. pp. 43-48.