Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Leonardo da Vinci
Table of Contents
Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Leonardo da Vinci: self-portrait
Explore the life of Italian painter, architect, engineer, and humanist Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci: Lady with an Ermine Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci: Head of a Woman
Leonardo da Vinci: More than just an artist
Leonardo da Vinci: Ginevra de' Benci Leonardo da Vinci: Adoration of the Magi (San Donato in Scopeto) Leonardo da Vinci: Adoration of the Magi Leonardo da Vinci: The Virgin of the Rocks
For Students
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci summary
Leonardo da Vinci: self-portrait
Leonardo da Vinci Timeline
Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci’s Achievements
Quizzes
Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
Ultimate Art Quiz
Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.
Artists, Painters, & Architects
ball bearing. Disassembled ball bearing. rotational friction Automobile Industry, Engineering, Industry, Machine Part, Metal Industry, Sphere, Steel, Wheel
Inventors and Inventions
Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.
Architecture: The Built World
Self-Portrait, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Overall: 57.2 x 43.8 cm., framed: 82.9 x 69.2 x 6.7 cm.
Name That Artist
Related Questions
Read Next
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Aerial view of Florence (Firenze), Italy from the campanile of the Duomo, with the gigantic dome (designed by Filippo Brunelleschi) in the foreground. Unidentifiable tourists are visible on top of the dome, which provide a measure of the building s scale.
25 Famous Paintings to See the Next Time You’re in Florence
Fresh vegetables, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, tomato, squash
8 of History’s Most Famous Vegetarians
Musee du Louvre (Louvre museum)with the glass Pyramid designed by architect I.M. Pei; Paris, France. Photo dated 2008.
29 Paintings You Can Visit Only at the Louvre
Discover
winter ice melting salt on the ground, pattern as background
Why Does Salt Melt Ice?
pg 229Nazi parade features a banner proclaiming, "Death to Marxism."The possibility of a peaceful Germany after World War I was precluded entirely by the terms of the Versailles Treaty and theintransigent hostility of France and England. Stripped of indu
Were the Nazis Socialists?
Parsons Weems' Fable, oil on canvas by Grant Wood, 1939; in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Catalog entry: The historian Mason Locke Weems, commonly known by his clerical title, Parson Weems, pulls back a curtain to point at 6-year-old George Washington. Bearing an adult head and holding an axe, George gazes blankly up at his father, Augustine, who questions his son while holding a partially cut cherry tree. All of this takes place in front of a 20th-century brick building, which Wood modeled after his own home in Iowa. The scene illustrates the fable of Washington and the cherry tree, which Weems invented in 1806 for the first president's biography. Wood playfully suggests the artifice of the tale here, presenting the story in the manner of a costumed stage play rather than a real event. Amid the action, two Black figures pick cherries in the background, a reference to Washington' slaveholding past and a reminder of of what often gets left out in historical mythmaking.
Did George Washington Really Say, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”?
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Odissi Indian classical female dancer on white background. (Indian dancer; classical dancer; Indian dance)
6 Classical Dances of India
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Leonardo da Vinci: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Leonardo-da-Vinci
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The 'Mona Lisa' will get its own room under a major renovation of the Louvre • Jan. 28, 2025, 7:26 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Born April 15, 1452 • Italy
Died May 2, 1519 (aged 67) • France
Notable Works “Battle of Anghiari” • “Last Supper” • “Leda” • “Mona Lisa” • “Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci” • “St. Jerome” • “The Benois Madonna” • “The Virgin of the Rocks” • “Treatise on Painting” • “Virgin and Child with St. Anne”
Movement / Style Early Renaissance • Renaissance
Subjects Of Study painting • perspective • proportion • anatomy • cosmology • mechanics • architecture

Did You Know?

  • Leonardo da Vinci wrote from right to left in "mirrored writing", so his work was only legible when held up to a mirror.
  • Leonardo da Vinci designed a flying machine over 400 years before the Wright brothers achieved the first sustained flight.
  • In 2017 "Salvator Mundi", a painting attributed to Leonardo, sold at auction for $450.3 million.
  • Bill Gates purchased one of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts for $30.8 million.

Photos and Videos

Leonardo da Vinci: self-portrait
Leonardo da Vinci: Lady with an Ermine
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci: Head of a Woman
Leonardo da Vinci: Ginevra de' Benci
Leonardo da Vinci: Adoration of the Magi (San Donato in Scopeto)
Leonardo da Vinci: Adoration of the Magi
Leonardo da Vinci: The Virgin of the Rocks
Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper
Explore the life of Italian painter, architect, engineer, and humanist Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci: More than just an artist
Unraveling the mystery behind the Mona Lisa
Who was the subject of the Mona Lisa?
See how Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci learned from Andrea del Verrocchio of the earlier Florentine school
See All Videos and Images →
Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Italian artist
Raphael: The Grand Duke's Madonna
Raphael
Italian painter and architect
The Adoration of the Shepherds by Giorgione
Giorgione
Italian painter
Venus of Urbino by Titian
Titian
Italian painter
Piero della Francesca: The Flagellation of Christ
Piero della Francesca
Italian painter
Parmigianino
Parmigianino
Italian artist
Albrecht Dürer: Self-Portrait in Furred Coat
Albrecht Dürer
German artist
The Birth of the Virgin, fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1486–90; in the choir of Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Italian painter
Paolo Uccello
Italian painter
Baptism of Christ
Masolino
Italian painter
Benozzo Gozzoli: detail of Procession of the Magi
Benozzo Gozzoli
Italian painter
Tintoretto: Last Supper
Tintoretto
Italian painter
Arrival of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, fresco by Andrea Mantegna, completed 1474; in the Camera degli Sposi, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy.
Andrea Mantegna
Italian artist
Fra Angelico: Madonna of Humility
Fra Angelico
Italian painter
Sandro Botticelli: Birth of Venus
Sandro Botticelli
Italian painter
Masaccio
Italian painter
Bellini, Giovanni: Saint Jerome Reading
Giovanni Bellini
Italian painter
Fra Filippo Lippi: Madonna and Child
Fra Filippo Lippi
Italian painter
Andrea del Sarto
Italian painter
Correggio: Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist
Correggio
Italian artist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.
Architecture: The Built World
Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.
Artists, Painters, & Architects
Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
Ultimate Art Quiz
Pre-historic cave painting in the Lascaux cave in Montignac, France
Quiz: Ancient Illustrations Showing Us the Way
"The Birth of Venus," tempera on canvas by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1485; in the Uffizi, Florence.
Who Painted the Most Expensive Paintings in the World?
Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.
Artists, Painters, & Architects
ball bearing. Disassembled ball bearing. rotational friction Automobile Industry, Engineering, Industry, Machine Part, Metal Industry, Sphere, Steel, Wheel
Inventors and Inventions
Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
Ultimate Art Quiz
Self-Portrait, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Overall: 57.2 x 43.8 cm., framed: 82.9 x 69.2 x 6.7 cm.
Name That Artist
Tate Modern extension Switch House, London, England. (Tavatnik, museums). Photo dated 2017.
Can You Match These Lesser-Known Paintings to Their Artists?
David Statue, Michelangelo. Florence, Italy.
Leonardo da Vinci versus Michelangelo
Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
Ultimate Art Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
63 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Visual Arts Quizzes
"Madonna and Child" tempera on panel by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1470; in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Florentine Renaissance)
Artists of the Italian Renaissance Quiz
Artist paint brushes and watercolor paintbox on wooden palette. Instruments and tools for creative leisure. Creative background. Paintings art concept. Painting hobby. Back to school. Top view.
Quick Quiz: Can You Name the Artists of These Paintings from a Description?
List
Aerial view of Florence (Firenze), Italy from the campanile of the Duomo, with the gigantic dome (designed by Filippo Brunelleschi) in the foreground. Unidentifiable tourists are visible on top of the dome, which provide a measure of the building s scale.
25 Famous Paintings to See the Next Time You’re in Florence
Sculpture of woman before restoration (left) and after restoration on the exterior of an office building in Palencia, Spain. (art restoration)
5 Art Restorations Gone Wrong
Fresh vegetables, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, tomato, squash
8 of History’s Most Famous Vegetarians
Musee du Louvre (Louvre museum)with the glass Pyramid designed by architect I.M. Pei; Paris, France. Photo dated 2008.
29 Paintings You Can Visit Only at the Louvre
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Demystified
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?