by Shana Priwer
By 1480, Leonardo had established his own studio in Florence and became well known enough to acquire a patron. He became a member of the garden of San Marcos, which was under Lorenzo de' Medici's patronage. (Lorenzo was Michelangelo's patron as well.)
During this time, Leonardo was commissioned to paint Adoration of the Magi for the monastery altar of San Donato Scopeto. The scene shows the Three Kings along with Mary and her infant son. Although Leonardo was given more than two years to work on this piece, even that wasn't enough time. He managed to finish enough of it to show that he was well on his way to breaking away from Verrocchio's influence. The style is different from his previous works, with a triangular grouping of people in the foreground and an elaborate background that combines natural and architectural elements. While many works of the day were composed linearly, a straight line was just too boring for Leonardo. Adoration has a balanced, symmetrical structure, again showcasing Leonardo's rapidly developing independence.
While under Lorenzo de' Medici's patronage, Leonardo worked on other paintings such as San Gerolamo. Unfortunately, this patron-artist arrangement did not last for long. Leonardo was a strong-spirited artist with a reputation for not finishing everything he started, and Lorenzo the Magnificent expected his sponsored works to be completed. With a name like Magnificent, you expect things to be done your way! After a few years, it was time for Leonardo to move on.
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Playing up to the duke
In 1482, Leonardo applied for patronage with the soon to be Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Like the Medici family in Florence, the Sforzas controlled Milan at this time. However, unlike the banking Medicis, the Sforzas were warriors. Some members of the Sforza family were actually condottierei, mercenary soldiers who fought in wars for the highest bidder. The Sforzas rose through the military classes over time, eventually gaining control over Milan from about 1450 to 1535. Just imagine the young Leonardo trying to find his place working for them.
Ludovico became duke in 1494. Although he initially aligned himself with the French King Charles, he later fought against France in an attempt to protect Milan. Duke Sforza was certainly quite a warrior, at one point making weapons from up to seventy tons of bronze that had previously been earmarked for one of Leonardo's sculptures (see number 29). Leonardo couldn't have been too pleased about that turn of events.
Leonardo likely learned about military equipment and machinery during his tenure under the duke. He became Ludovico's court painter, a relationship that lasted until 1499. In that year, Sforza's land was invaded and he was forcibly driven out of Milan. The French King Louis XII invoked a claim on Sforza's property, and Ludovico ultimately died in a French prison. So much for the great warrior, and for Leonardo's great patron.
While Sforza spent a lot of time embroiled in political turmoil, he made a point of investing in the arts and especially in Leonardo da Vinci. Under Sforza's patronage, Leonardo created some of his most famous works. When applying for the job with Sforza, Leonardo wrote a detailed list of his engineering and military credentials, with his artistic skills listed almost as an afterthought. Fortunately, Sforza took advantage of all of Leonardo's talents!
Leonardo came into his own while under the Duke of Milan's patronage. He got the chance to experiment with painting, sculpture, weapons design, architecture, and machinery. Leonardo was an artist, but he was also a realist; he understood the necessity of defense, even though he didn't agree with the concept of war. Of course, he also didn't want to alienate his sponsor. As the duke's chief military engineer, Leonardo invented several different war machines and weapons during this period.
Beyond his military inventions, Leonardo created two of his most famous paintings while in Milan. He started The Virgin of the Rocks in 1483, a painting intended for the altar at the Chapel of the Immacolata, located in the church of San Francesco Grande. The contract was extremely specific: The monks wanted the painting to be composed in a certain way, and it had to be done using certain materials. As you'll see in number 36, the notoriously individualistic Leonardo quickly ran into problems.
During this period, Leonardo also began work on The Last Supper (see number 37). Commissioned by the Duke of Milan himself, this work was to be painted on the refectory wall of the family chapel, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The giant mural was almost thirty feet long—pretty amazing that it was actually completed. However, it began to deteriorate almost immediately, most likely due to the type of paints Leonardo used and the extreme humidity of the refectory's walls. Many attempts were made to restore it over time, culminating with a painstaking effort finished in 1999.
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Look out, it's Cesare Borgia!
One of the Renaissance's more notorious political figures, Cesare Borgia (the Duke of Valencia) lived from 1476 to 1507. Born out of wedlock, he was actually the son of Pope Alexander VI. Initially, Borgia set out on the path to become a cleric, but he wound up as the Archbishop of Valencia (modern-day Spain) while his father was traveling down the road to papacy. Supposedly one of his father's favorites, Borgia probably used his family connections to obtain several official positions.
You may recognize the name Cesare Borgia as the murdering Renaissance politico who killed his own brother. Rumor has it that he did indeed murder his sibling, Giovanni, in 1497. There isn't much proof, although Cesare was said to have been jealous of his brother's high social position, and may have also fought with him over a woman. He had a violent reputation and may have been responsible for several other murders. Sounds like an all-around nice guy, right?
In 1498, Borgia did an about-face, changing his unruly ways after assuming the role of general of the Church. Because he was the illegitimate son of a priest, he had a hard time finding a suitable royal bride, so he spent much of the following year traveling, promoting his career, and dealing with various responsibilities. He also led the efforts to unite the fighting Italian city-states.
By the early 1500s, Borgia owned land all over Italy, at least part of which he had taken by force. He was quite a character—in between the murdering and the stealing, somehow he found time to be crowned Duke of Romagna for a period! As his power grew, so did his enemies. When his father died in 1503, Cesare was forced to leave Rome. It all went downhill from there. His power slowly waned, his lands were overtaken, and his castles fell into his enemies' hands. Borgia was imprisoned on several occasions and, in a fitting end to a life of crime, he was killed while attempting to take over a castle in 1507.
Needless to say, Cesare Borgia's infamy guaranteed him a place in history. Renaissance writer and philosopher Niccolo' Machiavelli (1469–1527) may even have based The Prince, his political examination of the day's monarchy, on Borgia's life. It is also possible that Machiavelli's work was more parody than praise; in any event, Borgia's contemporary influence was enormous and undeniable.
So how did this ruthless character relate to Renaissance master painter Leonardo da Vinci? For starters, Leonardo traveled with Cesare Borgia in the early 1500s. As a military engineer and architect, Leonardo was put to work designing war machines. When his former patron, Duke Sforza, was driven out of Rome, Leonardo had to look for work, and the military experience Leonardo gained while working under the duke helped him to secure the position with Borgia's army. During his time with Borgia, Leonardo designed many machines, including collapsible bridges, wall-mounted ladders, and rotating scythe blades attached to moving chariots. It's also possible that he designed weapons, such as catapults, crossbows, machine guns, and cannons. Leonardo's genius turned lethal, when required.
Like so many religious and political figures of the day, Borgia was also a patron of the arts, and having Leonardo da Vinci in his company was another feather in his cap. Leonardo stayed with Cesare Borgia until his return to Milan in 1506.
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The best of the Louis
King Louis XII of France (1462–1515), affectionately dubbed “Father of the People,” was a popular king w
ho had a major influence during the Renaissance. In a typically nepotistic fashion, he inherited a duke position from his father, the Duke of Orleans. Like Leonardo, he stood up for what he believed in as part of the rebellion against the French King Charles (who was, incidentally, his cousin). This little incident landed him in prison from 1487 to 1490, but later, he worked his way back into Charles's circle of friends. How forgiving!
But how'd he end up in Italy? At that time, many powerful French leaders were asserting their claims to dominance in Italy. Louis was part of this movement, and he made a name for himself by participating in the Italian invasions. He went on to become king upon Charles's death in 1498.
After gaining power over Milan in 1500, Louis had the unenviable task of dividing the royal authority in Naples and engaging in constant battles for power with Spain. He also had to suppress the Italian city-states' various rebellions, including those in Genoa and Venice. Around 1511, however, Pope Julius II formed the Holy Roman League, one of its main purposes being to eradicate French leadership in Italy. Louis remained in power in Milan until 1513, when the French presence was driven out. In 1514, King Louis's second wife died, and he remarried Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII's eighteen-year-old sister. When Louis XII died in 1515, the French monarchy went to François I.
As king, Louis was popular among the people because he lowered taxes and made other general improvements. He was also a patron of the arts, and Leonardo da Vinci served as his court painter in Milan for several years.
After his stint as Cesare Borgia's military engineer, Leonardo returned to Milan. He was becoming increasingly famous, and King Louis's governor, Charles D'Amboise, requested him specifically for the position of court painter. Leonardo's reputation was well established by this time, and King Louis's court wanted to get in on the national treasure that Leonardo was becoming. You can tell that Leonardo was in high demand from a letter King Louis's court sent to the city of Florence, asking for Leonardo's services. Hard to imagine the Queen of England writing to the entire City of New York to ask for a painter, isn't it? King Louis wanted Leonardo to remain in Milan until his highness could set up court there, and of course Leonardo obliged.
In addition to painting, Leonardo provided architectural, military, and other engineering services to King Louis. He was also responsible for other general duties as directed by the court; when Louis traveled to other cities, Leonardo may have been in charge of decorations and whatever traveling road show the king required. All in all, it was a very sweet deal for our master painter.
Leonardo painted several masterpieces during this period. In 1506, he worked on a second version of The Virgin of the Rocks. He also painted Leda and the Swan (now lost) and The Virgin and Saint Anne in 1509, as well as St. John in the Wilderness from around 1510 to 1515.
Leonardo also took this opportunity to do some prefunded, independent study. He was fascinated with botany, hydraulics, mechanics, and other sciences. He took his study of anatomy to a higher level, and in working with the noted anatomist Marcantonio della Torre from the University of Pavia, he learned much, storing his knowledge away for future use in paintings, writings, and other designs. But Leonardo did more than just study. In 1512, he produced one of his first self-portraits. Then, of course, there were the legal distractions related to settling his father's and uncle's estates (see number 5).
Leonardo remained Louis XII's court painter until the king was forced out of Milan in 1513. At this time, Leonardo left Milan briefly and found work in Florence and Rome over the next several years.
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Don't mess with the pope
One of the most important political, social, and religious units in Florence, the Medici family controlled the republic more than the government possibly could have. While the family was historically composed of doctors and artists, they later became bankers and ran the region financially.
In the early sixteenth century Giovanni de Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, rose to be a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. But the Medicis certainly weren't the only powerful family in Italy. Other families challenged their financial and cultural control, but Giovanni used his connections with the pope to reassert the Medicis as a primary ruling family. Ultimately, Giovanni became Pope Leo X. His greatest claim to fame, incidentally, is being the pope who was responsible for Martin Luther's excommunication during the Protestant Reformation.
Giovanni's brother, Giuliano de' Medici, was also a great success as head of the pope's army. Art historians in particular like to study Giuliano because he served as Leonardo da Vinci's patron from 1513–1516. After King Louis XII of France was forced out of power in Milan in 1513, Leonardo was freed from his role as court painter and quickly got back on good terms with the Medici family.
Leonardo da Vinci's lifestyle underwent major changes during these years. He moved to Rome and lived in the Vatican, where he earned respect from both religious authorities and other artists. Respect equaled more commissions, so he was making friends in the right places. He had his own workshop in Rome and took on many projects under the direction of both Giuliano de Medici and the pope.
Having such a high position gave Leonardo luxuries that other artists didn't have; he had free time to study, and he focused his efforts on learning more about anatomy and physiology. During the course of his studies, Leonardo became convinced of the scientific importance of dissecting human cadavers. This approach certainly made sense, given what Renaissance doctors and scientists were beginning to understand about the human body. However, much to Leonardo's dismay, the pope issued orders expressly forbidding the dissection of human bodies. Faced with no other choice, Leonardo reluctantly obeyed.
While in Rome, Leonardo was in close proximity to some of his primary rivals. Both Michelangelo and Raphael were becoming major players in the art world, and while Leonardo didn't have much direct contact with these artists, their obvious abilities certainly prodded him to keep up, if not surpass them.
Da Vinci created several masterpieces while under Giuliano de Medici's patronage. One of his crowning achievements was St. John the Baptist (1513–1516), which may be the last painting Leonardo ever worked on. This painting is particularly significant because it clearly demonstrates sfumato, a technique Leonardo developed over the course of his career to make people and objects appear to dissolve into one other and the accompanying background (see number 30). You can see another excellent example of sfumato in Leonardo's Mona Lisa (1503–1506).
Among Leonardo's later technical achievements during his period in Rome was a mechanical lion he developed for the coronation of France's successor to the crown, King François I. Following the coronation in 1516, Leonardo again joined the royal courts, serving under François, until his death in 1519.
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François I, King of France and friend of Leonardo
After his years of travel with Cesare Borgia and his army, Leonardo probably needed a break. He was, after all, in his fifties at the turn of the century, and the nomadic warrior lifestyle wasn't exactly restful. As explained in the previous points, Leonardo's occupations after moving to Milan were varied: he worked as court painter, engineer, architect, and all-around artist for Louis XII between 1506 and 1513. Then, the Medicis were his patrons in Rome until 1516.
From 1516 to until his death in 1519, Leonardo worked for the court of François I (1494–1547), the King of France. François was crowned in 1515 after he inherited the monarchy from Louis XII. Often considered to be the first true king of the Renaissance, François was enchanted with the artwork of the day, and he reportedly invited Leonardo to visit the French court and ultimately convinced him to stay. Once there, Leonardo was honored and respected, as well he should have been! Rather than being simply a court painter, he was given the title of Premier Architect, Engineer, and Painter.
While some of his earlier accommodations were little more than stable rooms, Da Vinci's final home was a luxurious house near the royal palace in France. He lived at the
Clos Luce Manor, located in the Loire Valley. And the free room and board wasn't all—Leonardo was well paid for his work during these final years and was reputed to have been closer to François than any of his previous patrons. Apparently, the king did not ask Leonardo to produce much toward the end of his life. His primary role was to serve as the king's friend. There may have even been an underground passage between the Manor and royal castle, which would have given the king easy access to his aging friend.
Toward the end of his life, Leonardo spent much time sketching. He developed some of the first sketches of water flowing freely and circulating in a whirlpool. Later, scientists researching turbulence would actually study his drawings. Leonardo also developed preliminary designs for scuba gear, diving suits, movable bridges, underwater craft, and many other devices that foretold designs to come.
François, by all accounts, had a special place in his heart for Leonardo and the feeling appears to have been mutual. Leonardo's favorite work was the Mona Lisa, which he kept with him at all times, until, as evidence suggests, he either gave or sold his treasure to King François.
King François remained a patron of the arts after Leonardo's death; he collected masterpieces from other artists, including Michelangelo, Cellini, Raphael, and Titian. His royal palace, decorated with works from Leonardo and others, was a true tribute to Renaissance art. What an amazing museum it would have made.
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Da Vinci University
Wish you could have signed up for painting classes with the Great Leonardo? Even if you were alive during the Renaissance, you would have had a tough time. Leonardo never established a formal school or workshop. However, he did instruct plenty of students and apprentices over the years. During Leonardo's years in Milan at the court of Sforza, he probably had a number of apprentices and pupils. He even wrote training guides specifically for these students, and these documents were later collected in book form as A Treatise on Painting.
