Although often referred to as Da Vinci, the truth is that Leonardo did not have a surname

Although often referred to simply as "da Vinci," the truth is that Leonardo didn't have a surname, at least as we think of it in modern terms. Da Vinci literally means "Vinci's" in his hometown. This was common at the time. During Leonardo's lifetime, hereditary surnames became more popular among the upper class. But it wouldn't be common practice until the mid-16th century. That's why you'll find that most museums and academic books refer to him only as Leonardo.

HE WAS AN ILLEGAL CHILD

Leonardo was born the illegitimate child of Sir Piero, a wealthy Florentine notary, and a young peasant named Caterina. Leonardo da Vinci's mother married a craftsman shortly after his birth. Leonardo was treated as the legitimate son of Sir Piero and was brought up in his family's estate. He also had 12 half-siblings from his father, who were much younger than him and with whom he had little contact.

LEONARDO HAS NO OFFICIAL EDUCATION

For all his genius, it may be surprising to know that Leonardo did not receive much formal training. He learned the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. But most of his deep learning came later in life. For example, Latin, the language of scholars at the time, was largely something he taught himself. And advanced mathematics, a subject he was passionate about, came into his life only when he started dedicating himself to it in his 30s.

DA VINCI WAS LEFT HANDED

There is some research suggesting that left-handed people are more creative. If true, that's certainly the case with Leonardo. The Renaissance man is one of the most famous painters who has been confirmed to have a dominant left hand. Recent historians believe that Leonardo may even have been versatile.

DON'T HAVE TOO MANY TABLES

Although Leonardo da Vinci is considered one of the greatest painters of all time, his artistic output was relatively small. In fact, there are only 17 or so surviving artifacts that can be definitively attributed to him. Part of that was due to his busy mind. He was engaged in scientific research and engineering. He went through long periods when he often did not accept commissions or paint much. Some of his famous works, such as the Battle of Anghiari and Leda, are only known for preparatory drawings or copies made by other painters after they were lost, destroyed or corrupted over time. However, his unmatched reputation speaks of the strength of his art. Even with very few completed paintings, it's impossible to deny its influence on artists of his time and future generations. Currently, the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, is the work of da Vinci.

STARTED THE APPROACH AT THE AGE OF 15

As was typical at the time, Leonardo began his artistic training as a teenager. Thanks to his father's reputation, he was able to enter the workshop of the respected artist Andrea del Verrocchio at the age of 15. Here he would learn not only the basics of painting and sculpture, but also engineering and technical arts. This included things like chemistry, drawing, metallurgy, and metalworking. He also worked in the workshop of Antonio Pollaiuolo, right next to it. At the age of 20 he was accepted into Florence's guild of painters. However, he continued to spend the next five years under Verrocchio's tutelage and then split into his own branches.

HE ADMIRED THE HUMAN BODY

Leonardo's thirst for knowledge spread throughout the human body. Not content with examining what was already there, he deepened his knowledge by performing some 30 human dissections in hospitals in Milan, Florence, and Rome. His passion for anatomy has grown so much that it has become his own field of study for the artist, regardless of how it affects his artistic work. From an early age he was not only interested in the structure of anatomy, but also began physiological research. His drawings of how the brain, heart and lungs function as the core of the body are still known as a great achievement in science. In fact, his anatomical drawings helped form the basis of modern scientific illustration.

ANIMAL AND VEGETARIAN

Many sources, including Leonardo's notebooks and the writings of his contemporaries, have described Leonardo's passion for animals and wildlife. He also challenged the morality of consuming animals in his writings. Altogether, this evidence strongly suggests that he is a vegetarian. Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari told a story of Leonardo where the young artist bought birds for sale to set them free.

DA VINCI WAS AWESOME IN MUSIC

According to Vasari, Leonardo's talents also extended to the musical field. Not only was he described as a successful singer, he was also gifted with the lyre and wrote musical compositions in notebooks. He even created a silver lyre in the shape of a horse's head, which was later gifted to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.

BILL GATES, OWNER OF THE BOOK

With such a huge appetite for knowledge, it should come as no surprise that he was a prolific writer. Most of Leonardo's notebooks are in leading institutions such as the British Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum. But one in particular is in the hands of a modern genius. Leonardo's Codex Hammer, also called Codex Leicester, was purchased by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for $30.8 million in 1994. The 72-page notebook was written between 1506 and 1510. It contains scientific thoughts on everything from the reasons why the sky is blue to the brightness of the Moon, from the movement of water to how fossils are formed.

Written in reverse

A left-handed and frequent writer, Leonardo filled his notebooks with a mirror script that was a mirror image of the regular text. Since he can write right to left, it is theoretical that this approach is probably faster for him. He also created various symbols that he embedded in his notes. These strategies also obscured the content of his writings at first glance.

THE GREATEST WORK WAS DAMAGED BY WAR

He is known for iconic artworks such as Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper. But unfortunately for us his greatest work was never fully realized. In 1482, Leonardo left Florence for Milan, apparently tempted by a commission for a huge equestrian statue honoring Francesco Sforza. When completed, it would be larger than the other two equestrian statues of the Renaissance made by Donatello and Leonardo's former mentor, Verrocchio.

It was to be over 16 meters tall and was commissioned by Sforza's son, who became the Duke of Milan. Leonardo worked for 17 years on the project, nicknamed Gran Cavallo (The Big Horse). The long timeline was not unusual for Leonardo, given his pursuit of other interests. 12 years later, in 1493, a clay model of the statue was exhibited, and Leonardo worked out detailed plans to cast it in bronze. Unfortunately, the metal that would be used for the sculpture was set for cannons as the threat of French invasion was imminent. In fact, the Duke was overthrown in 1499 and the clay model was ruined as French troops occupied the city and stole from us what would become one of the greatest monuments of the Renaissance.

WORKED AS A MILITARY ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER

A few years after the equestrian statue was finished, Leonardo da vinci made a deal with the famous Cesare Borgia. Son of Pope Alexander VI, he was the commander-in-chief of the papal army. And he was known for his brutal way of keeping control and trying to dominate different Italian states. Leonardo spent 10 months as a “senior military architect and general engineer.” Therefore, he traveled around the different parts of Borgia in search of them. He also created many city plans and topographical maps that heralded modern cartography.

SPENT HIS LAST YEARS IN FRANCE

At the age of 60, Leonardo da Vinci had to leave Milan due to political turmoil. This took him to Rome, where he was hosted by the Pope's brother, Giuliano de' Medici. While Leonardo hoped to find work in Rome, other artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo worked hard on commissions for the Pope, while he was given only a salary and left to himself. This greatly frustrated Leonardo, and five years later he gladly accepted the offer of the king of France to come and work for him.

He left Italy in 1516 at the age of 65 and never looked back. Although he did not paint much while in France, he spent a lot of time on his scientific projects. He died just a few years after arriving in France and was buried in the Collegiate Church of Saint Florentin at Château d'Amboise. Unfortunately, the church was damaged during the French Revolution, causing it to be demolished in 1802. Some tombs were also destroyed, making it difficult for historians to know where their remains were.