Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci represents the Renaissance man in his utmost splendour.

He strove for an impossible perfection of understanding, and he achieved it.

Despite his humble origins, Leonardo da Vinci not only became a superb painter but opened up vast areas of human knowledge.

His talents were discovered at an early age, and consequently the child prodigy entered Verrocchio’s studio and flourished.

In addition to long periods spent in Florence and Milan, at the height of his career da Vinci was employed by Cesare Borgia as an architect and engineer general.

It is undeniable that in his 67-years he accomplished an extraordinary number of works of genius.

Today his name brings to mind the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper or the Vitruvian Man, but da Vinci was far more than a painter, or an inventor or scientist.

He was, and is, an icon.

Meticulously researched and not without controversy, in Leonardo Robert Payne has drawn on the wealth of first-hand accounts and official records to dispel many of the illusions that surround da Vinci, and render a definitive portrait.