Leonardo da Vinci: The Early Years Quiz

Answer: False

Really, in Leonardo's time bastardy carried only a small stigma. Even the pope, Alexander VI, fathered illegitimate children. Not only did Leonardo's father, Piero, acknowledge his son, he was also present at Leonardo's baptism, along with several other members of his family. Piero apparently led an interesting life; he lived to be 77, had four wives (three of whom died), and fathered twelve children - the last when he was 75. After Piero's first wife failed to produce children, it appears that Leonardo came to live in the family home, and this is where he stayed until it was time for his apprenticeship to begin. What was the relationship between father and son? It is difficult to say. There is a notation in one of Leonardo's notebooks that his father had died on July 9, 1504, but it recorded that Piero was 80, when he was actually 77.

Shown in the picture is Leonardo's childhood home in Anchiano, Vinci. He lived there with his mother until he was approximately five years old. In a notation in one of his books, Leonardo wrote down the name of his childhood home, and then crossed it out. In his notebooks, Leonardo did write a detailed list of his mother's funeral expenses, so apparently he continued to have some contact with her.

Answer: Florence

While some historians would argue that the Renaissance began in Florence because of the wealth and influence of the Medici family there, the truth of the matter is that the Renaissance began there before the Medici became powerful. Other historians might claim that it was just a matter of luck that some of the great Renaissance people were born near Florence. Florence was one of the leading commercial centers of Italy, and had already acquired great wealth through trade by the beginning of the Renaissance. The new ideas that were being brought there, along with commercial goods, had great influence.

Leonardo was growing up in a time and place where many great masters had been produced, and the arts had been flourishing for quite some time. One of the earliest Renaissance artists, Giotto, had lived and worked in Florence almost two hundred years before Leonardo.

Answer: Shield

Piero, in the story, was approached by a peasant who had cut a round shield from a tree, and asked to take it to town so an artist would paint on it. Instead of taking the shield to town, he gave it to Leonardo, who collected creatures such as lizards, bats, snakes, and maggots, and painted a horrible looking, fire-breathing creature with all kinds of different body parts. Upon seeing the finished products, Piero was very startled due to its realistic appearance; he did, however, quickly recover, and took the shield to town, where he sold it for 100 ducats to an art dealer. He arranged for the peasant to receive a much simpler looking shield, while it is said that the art dealer sold the shield to the Duke of Milan.

Taken from Leonardo's voluminous notebooks, this page shows a study of cats, a dragon, and other small creatures.

Answer: Lyre

Leonardo was, apparently, a very talented musician. It is said that when he was about thirty years old, Leonardo created a silver lyre in the shape of a horse's head. He was sent to Milan by Lorenzo de' Medici, a member of the powerful banking family in Florence, as his representative with the lyre as a gift for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.

The lyre was to serve as a peace offering between the rival cities.

Answer: He possessed great strength and dexterity.

Vasari wrote that Leonardo's "personal beauty could not be exaggerated....every movement was grace itself...." His "charming conversation won all hearts, and although he possessed nothing and worked little, he kept servants, and horses of which he was very fond, and indeed he loved all animals." It was said that Leonardo would often pass merchants who sold caged birds; he would make a purchase and then set the birds free. Leonardo also had a reputation as a practical joker and was said to enjoy fine clothing. Interestingly, Vasari also wrote of Leonardo's strength; he was so strong that "with his right hand he could bend the clapper of a knocker or a horseshoe as if they had been of lead".

The portrait of Leonardo is by Francesco Melzi, who is thought to be Leonardo's favorite student. He joined Leonardo's household in 1506, and stayed with his master until the end of his life on May 2, 1519 in France. Melzi was the executor of Leonardo's estate and inherited his manuscripts and notebooks.

Answer: Andrea del Verrocchio

When Leonardo was about fifteen years old, his father took him to Florence to be apprenticed in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio, one of the premier artists in Italy at the time. It was typical for an apprenticeship to last about six years before the artist was admitted into the painter's guild (called St. Luke's in Florence) and set up their own studio. Verrocchio displayed great talent; in addition to being a painter, he was a sculptor and worked with jewels and precious metals. Little is known about the relationship between the two. However, Leonardo did continue to live in his master's house after being being admitted to the guild.

The statue in the pictured is credited to Verrocchio; it is a bronze statue of David. Not only has he killed Goliath, but he is also standing triumphant over his head! Made sometime between 1473-1475, some sources claim that the young Leonardo posed for the statue.

Answer: True

The first documented painting that was done in part by Leonardo is Verrocchio's "Baptism of Christ". Leonardo painted the angel on the left, while his master painted the one on the right. In addition, much of the painting's background is done in the style of Leonardo. Vasari said that Verrocchio "would never afterward touch colors, chagrined that a child should know more than he".

It is not known, however, if Verrocchio did this happily or angrily. However, it is known that painting was one of his least favorite commissions.

It must also be noted that Leonardo did not simply walk into the studio and paint the angel on his first day as an apprentice. It is estimated that he was probably about twenty years old at the time.

Answer: Masaccio

Masaccio began work on the wall of the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine as an assistant to an artist named Masolino da Panicale. Masolino, however, abandoned the project, and the commission was given to the young, twenty-one year old Masaccio.

Unfortunately, Masaccio died six years later before the project could be completed; portions were later finished by Filippino Lippi. Looking at the schematic, one can see that this was very ambitious undertaking. It is believed that Leonardo was influenced by Masaccio's style and depiction of the human form.

Answer: He had no relationship with the Medici.

Although the Medici were patrons of the arts, they were not patrons of Leonardo. It is unclear, however, why that was the case. Some believe that it was due to the fact that even as a young man Leonardo had a reputation as being undependable for completing projects.

It must have been humiliating for Leonardo in 1481 when the Medici chose the "best" artists to work on the Vatican in Rome. Botticelli and Ghirlandaio were called with a few others - but Leonardo was not one of them. Maybe this led to Leonardo's decision to try a move?

Answer: Grotesque

Leonardo believed that ugly faces were a variation of the beautiful; it is interesting to note that while he looked for the ideal, beautiful face, he was also fascinated with the faces of those who were not. It is said that when he saw an interesting face, he would follow the person around for the day so that he could accurately reproduce the image. In his "Treatise on Painting" Leonardo wrote, "You should often amuse yourself when you take a walk for recreation, in watching and taking note of the attitudes and actions of men as they talk and dispute, or laugh or come to blows with one another...."

This particular page from Leonardo's notebooks is owned by the British royal family! How did they come to possess such a prize? It is uncertain.