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Geographic Life
Leonardo's World
Leonardo lived in seven major locations across Italy and France over 67 years. Each place shaped his work, his patrons, and his thinking. Select a location to explore what he made, who he knew, and what happened there.
Select a location on the map to explore Leonardo's life there.
Location 1
Vinci & Florence
1452–1481 · Birth, Apprenticeship, Early Career
Key Events
- Born April 15, 1452, in Anchiano near Vinci (Tuscany)
- Moved to Florence c. 1466; entered Verrocchio's workshop
- Enrolled in the painters' guild, 1472
- Painted Annunciation and contributed to Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ
- First commission: Adoration of the Magi (abandoned, 1481)
Works Created Here
- Annunciation (c. 1472–75) — Uffizi
- Baptism of Christ with Verrocchio (c. 1472–76) — Uffizi
- Ginevra de' Benci (c. 1474–78) — National Gallery of Art, DC
- Adoration of the Magi (begun 1481, never completed)
Key People
- Andrea del Verrocchio — master and mentor
- Lorenzo de' Medici — patron and cultural anchor
- Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino — workshop peers
Location 2
Milan
1482–1499 · The Sforza Years
Key Events
- Arrived at the court of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, c. 1482
- Served as court artist, engineer, and theatrical designer
- Began the monumental Sforza Horse bronze (never cast; clay model destroyed)
- Painted the Last Supper (1495–98) for Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Milan fell to French forces, 1499; Leonardo fled
Works Created Here
- Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre version, c. 1483–86)
- Lady with an Ermine (c. 1489–90)
- The Last Supper (1495–98) — refectory, Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Intensive notebook work: anatomy, mechanics, hydraulics, optics
Key People
- Ludovico Sforza ("il Moro") — primary patron
- Cecilia Gallerani — sitter for Lady with an Ermine
- Luca Pacioli — mathematician, collaborator on De Divina Proportione
- Salaì (Gian Giacomo Caprotti) — joined Leonardo's household, 1490
Location 3
Venice & Mantua
1499–1500 · Brief Sojourn
Key Events
- Fled Milan after French invasion; traveled via Mantua and Venice
- Spent approximately 3 months in Mantua at the court of Isabella d'Este
- Moved to Venice briefly; advised on Turkish naval threats to the city
- Returned to Florence by April 1500
Works Created Here
- Portrait of Isabella d'Este (cartoon, chalk on paper, c. 1499–1500) — Louvre
- Engineering drawings for flood defenses (Venice)
Key People
- Isabella d'Este — Marchioness of Mantua; commissioned (but never received) a painted portrait
Location 4
Florence (Return)
1500–1506 · The Mona Lisa Years
Key Events
- Returned to Florence, 1500; celebrated as the greatest living painter
- Commissioned for the Battle of Anghiari mural (never completed)
- Began the Mona Lisa (c. 1503) — worked on it for years and never delivered it
- Intensive anatomical studies at Santa Maria Nuova hospital
- Rivalry with the young Michelangelo, who was working on David
Works Created Here
- Mona Lisa (begun c. 1503) — completed much later
- Battle of Anghiari (begun 1505; lost) — the "lost masterpiece"
- Virgin and Child with St Anne cartoon (London, c. 1501)
- Extensive anatomical drawings — the most detailed in human history at that point
Key People
- Francesco del Giocondo — probable commissioner of the Mona Lisa
- Niccolò Machiavelli — fellow employee of the Florentine Republic; knew Leonardo
- Michelangelo — rivalry documented in contemporary sources
Location 5
Milan (Return)
1506–1513 · Under French Rule
Key Events
- Returned to Milan under French governor Charles d'Amboise, 1506
- Served both the French court and various Milanese patrons
- Completed the London version of Virgin of the Rocks
- Continued anatomical work; met Francesco Melzi, who became his devoted student and heir
- Left when French were again expelled from Milan, 1512–13
Works Created Here
- Virgin of the Rocks (London version, completed c. 1508) — National Gallery
- Continued work on the Mona Lisa (possibly the most intensive phase)
- Geological and water studies — Codex Leicester material
Key People
- Charles d'Amboise — French governor, primary patron
- Francesco Melzi (1491–c. 1570) — joined Leonardo c. 1506; loyal companion until Leonardo's death; compiled the Treatise on Painting
Location 6
Rome
1513–1516 · The Vatican Years
Key Events
- Arrived in Rome under the patronage of Giuliano de' Medici, 1513
- Worked in the Belvedere, Vatican — but felt sidelined as Michelangelo and Raphael dominated papal commissions
- Conducted optical experiments, mirror studies, and drainage engineering
- Suffered a right-hand injury or illness (documented in letters) — though he was left-handed, this may have affected his painting
- Left for France in 1516 when Giuliano died
Works Created Here
- St John the Baptist (completed c. 1513–16) — Louvre
- Optical studies, mirror constructions, drainage engineering drawings
- Possibly completed or refined the Mona Lisa here
Key People
- Giuliano de' Medici — patron; brother of Pope Leo X
- Pope Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici) — pontificate 1513–21
- Michelangelo and Raphael — dominant rivals; Leonardo felt overlooked
Location 7
Amboise, France
1516–1519 · Final Years
Key Events
- Invited by King Francis I of France; traveled with Salaì, Melzi, and three paintings
- Installed at the Château du Clos Lucé, near the royal palace of Amboise
- Designated "First Painter, Engineer, and Architect to the King" — at a salary far exceeding any previous patron
- Likely discussed art and philosophy with Francis I; their conversations recorded by contemporaries
- Suffered a stroke c. 1517 that partially paralyzed his right hand
- Died May 2, 1519, aged 67. Francis I was reportedly at his bedside.
Works Present
- Traveled with the Mona Lisa, St John the Baptist, and Virgin and Child with St Anne
- These three paintings passed to the French crown — the Mona Lisa has remained in France ever since
- Engineering drawings: canals, urban planning for a new city at Romorantin
Key People
- Francis I — King of France; Leonardo's final and most admiring patron
- Francesco Melzi — inherited Leonardo's notebooks, drawings, and papers
- Salaì — also traveled to France; inherited several works before returning to Milan