Leonardo's Lost Princess Read Online Free PDF Page B

in Leonardo’s notebooks for their innovative technique and anatomical precision.
    As I contemplated the possibility that I was holding in my hands the product of Leonardo’s work, my thoughts were consumed with images of the artist’s remarkable journey. Thanks to the Renaissance biographer Giorgio Vasari, we have some insight into Leonardo’s life. From a very young age, he was something special.
    Physically, Leonardo was a beautiful child, tall and sturdy, with curling hair that made him seem angelic. He had been born out of wedlock to his father Ser Piero’s mistress, Caterina, who soon left the picture. However, being a motherless child did not seem to hold Leonardo back. This was largely because of the great love and admiration of Ser Piero, and also because of Leonardo’s unearthly genius. He was gifted in a way that produced both pride and worry in his father, who wondered what would become of him.
    This dreamy, brilliant, sunny boy could not seem to settle down to any single pursuit. He picked up an interest—mathematics, the flute, clay modeling—only to put it down and start on another. The detritus of partly completed projects was scattered around the property. Beneath the whimsy of Leonardo’s varied exploits, Ser Piero could see that his son’s talent for drawing and modeling was quite exceptional, especially given his age of fourteen. But he needed a guiding hand, and although his father, a notary, could provide him with a stable home, he could not help him on that journey.
    One day, while gazing at the lovely artistry of a series of Leonardo’s drawings, Ser Piero decided to seek the opinion of his close friend Andrea del Verrocchio, an artist and a sculptor who oversaw the best workshop in Florence. Membership in it was greatly coveted. Handing Andrea Leonardo’s drawings, Ser Piero asked him, “Do you think if he gave himself entirely to drawing he would succeed?”
    Andrea studied the drawings with a growing sense of astonishment. A mere child of fourteen had mastered form and face with a maturity and skill that Andrea had never seen. Who was this boy? On the question of his future, Andrea had no doubt. He agreed to make a place for Leonardo in his workshop.
    Leonardo’s father was ebullient and relieved. He felt sure his boy’s talent would be safely nurtured under Andrea’s tutelage. Leonardo was also quite eager to go. He was glad to be immersed in art and design at every level.
    Leonardo thrived in Andrea’s workshop, and he would ultimately spend ten years in its comfortable creative embrace. He was not in a hurry to strike out on his own, and his father did not pressure him. In spite of his son’s clear genius, Ser Piero believed that his distracted manner and instability made him a poor candidate for independent work.
    There were plenty of opportunities to be had in the workshop, however. The first significant one was a painting of the baptism of Christ by St. John. Andrea gave Leonardo the task of painting one of two angels holding Christ’s robe. Although Leonardo was quite young, he managed it so well that his angel was better than Andrea’s figures. When Andrea saw Leonardo’s angel, he could not contain his feelings of anger. How could this mere apprentice outshine him? It was reported that he petulantly vowed to never touch a brush again after being outshone by his pupil. ( The Baptism of Christ is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Leonardo’s angel is the one on the left.)
    Leonardo was something of a loner among his peers. He would later write:
    The painter or draughtsman must remain solitary, and particularly when intent on those studies and reflections which will constantly rise up before his eye, giving materials to be well stored in the memory. While you are alone you are entirely your own [master] and if you have one companion you are but half your own, and the less so in proportion to