1476-1499
In 1478, Da Vinci had an important commission to paint an altarpiece for the monks of San Donato a Scopeto the painting was to be the Adoration of the Magi (The Three Wise Men). However, the painting was never finished because Leonardo was sent away to Milan.
In 1482 when in Milan Da Vinci stayed there for
seventeen years to work for the Duke of Milan as a painter. However, when the
war came he designed weapons for them. From 1485 until 1490 he studied many new
subjects like nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, architecture, etc.
His journal from this period showed designs for advanced weapons, including a
tank and other war vehicles, various combat devices, and submarines. He also
completed six paintings during his time in Milan.
In 1495 Leonardo began working on The Last Supper in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan; it was then completed in 1498. In 1499 with the duke Ludovico Sforza’s fall from power, Da Vinci left Milan and spent a short time in Venice. Then in 1500 Da Vinci began painting the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, a project that he only finished after 10 years. He also returned back to Florence.
In 1513 the French were expelled from Milan; however this is where Leonardo found most of his work so this resulted in him having to find work elsewhere. Da Vinci decided to head to Rome where his friend Giuliano de ‘Medici, the brother of Pope Leo X, offered him somewhere to live in the Vatican.
For about three years, Leonardo stayed in Rome, however he didn't receive any commissions while his rivals, Michelangelo and Raphael, where hard at work.
By 1516 the king of France, Francis I, requested that Leonardo joined his service. At this time, he decided to leave Italy, which was his home country, where he would never return again. He bore the title of first painter, architect and engineer to the King" and he lived in the small town of Cloux, near the King's palace.
While living in France, Leonardo Da Vinci died at the age of 67, in 1519 and was buried in the church of Saint-Florentine. The church was ruined during the French Revolution, and was completely torn down during the 19th Century. There are no longer any markings to identify Leonardo's gravesite, however the Renaissance Man, as he is often referred to, still lives through his many surviving paintings, all of his notebooks and through the extensive selection of Da Vinci posters and prints that have been produced over the years.
Georgina
In 1495 Leonardo began working on The Last Supper in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan; it was then completed in 1498. In 1499 with the duke Ludovico Sforza’s fall from power, Da Vinci left Milan and spent a short time in Venice. Then in 1500 Da Vinci began painting the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, a project that he only finished after 10 years. He also returned back to Florence.
In 1513 the French were expelled from Milan; however this is where Leonardo found most of his work so this resulted in him having to find work elsewhere. Da Vinci decided to head to Rome where his friend Giuliano de ‘Medici, the brother of Pope Leo X, offered him somewhere to live in the Vatican.
For about three years, Leonardo stayed in Rome, however he didn't receive any commissions while his rivals, Michelangelo and Raphael, where hard at work.
By 1516 the king of France, Francis I, requested that Leonardo joined his service. At this time, he decided to leave Italy, which was his home country, where he would never return again. He bore the title of first painter, architect and engineer to the King" and he lived in the small town of Cloux, near the King's palace.
While living in France, Leonardo Da Vinci died at the age of 67, in 1519 and was buried in the church of Saint-Florentine. The church was ruined during the French Revolution, and was completely torn down during the 19th Century. There are no longer any markings to identify Leonardo's gravesite, however the Renaissance Man, as he is often referred to, still lives through his many surviving paintings, all of his notebooks and through the extensive selection of Da Vinci posters and prints that have been produced over the years.
Georgina