Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, Italy near Florence. He showed early talents in music, mathematics, and art. At age 17, he became an apprentice to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. Later in his career, da Vinci obtained his own studio and took a position as court artist for the Duke of Milan, where he stayed for 17 years conducting scientific studies and inventions. Toward the end of his life, da Vinci lived in Rome, befriending prominent political figures. He died in 1519 at the age of 67 in Amboise, France.

1. Leonardoda Vinci wasbornin 1452, in the heartof the Renaissance inthe heartof Europe.He was
born outside Vinci,whichlieshighuponMount Albano,inthe valleyof the ArnoRiver,nearthe
cityof Florence.Florence wasanindependentrepublicand commercial centeratthe time of his
birth.He wasthe son of Ser Pierroda Vinci,whowasa legal specialist,andapeasantgirl named
Caterina.He was consideredan“illegitimate”sonbecause theywere notmarried.Rightaway.His
fathermarriedintoa wealthyfamilyandhe wenttolive withhisgrandparents.Laterhe livedwith
hisfather’sfamilyandtheydidn’tconceal hisbirthandwelcomedhisadditiontothe family.
As a childhe wasverysmart and was veryquickat arithmeticandmusic.He learned the lyre and
had a wonderful singingvoice,andquicklywenttofurtherdevelophistalentswithatutor.Atage
17, he wentto become anapprentice of paintingunderthe instructionof Andreadel Verrochio,in
Florence,whowasanartist,skilledcraftsmen,goldsmith,sculptorandpainter.He startedtouse
hisscience toenhance hispaintings.He studiedandsketchedrockformations,cavesandfossils.
He had veryfewclose friendsduringhislife,eventhoughhe wasverykindandsympathetic.Later,
duringhisapprenticeship,he startedtofindhisniche atinventingmachineslike the helicopter,
divingsuit,andsubmarine.Afterhe finishedhiseducation,he stayedforashort time assisting
Andreadel Verrochio
From 1478 to 1482, he obtainedhisownstudio.Afterthat,he wasofferedthe jobof court artist
for LodvicoSforza,the Duke of Milan.He tookit and livedinbeautiful Milanfor17 years.There,he
had a great varietyof jobsincludingdesigningartillery,andplanningriversystemdiversionsfor
the city.In Milan,he reallystartedto dive intothe fieldof scienceandlearnalot.Go to the
science sectiontolearnmore!
Toward the endof hislife,inabout1508, KingLouisXIIof France askedhimto accompanyhimto
Milan,and he wentwillingly.There,he stayedworkingonanatomyandotherfieldsuntil 1512,
whenthe FrenchlostMilan.He thenhadto go to Rome.There,he stayeduntil hislife was
finished.He wasverygoodfriendswithGuilianode’Medici,brotherof the duke,andhe waswe ll
housedandtreatedverykindly.Sadly,while inthe blissof the Renaissance,hishealthstartedto
fail.InMarch, 1516, Guilianodied,andLeonardowasleftalone inthe world,practicallydeserted.
Notfar thereafter,onMay 2, 1519, the mindof the Renaissance,LeonardodaVinci died.

2. The Annunciationisone of the mostfamouspaintingsof the ItalianRenaissance painterLeonardo
da Vinci.Itispaintedinoil onwood(poplarwood) measuring100 cm. highand 221 cm. wide and
datesfromthe period1472-1475. It ispreservedin the Uffizi GalleryinFlorence.
There isverylittle certaininformationregardingthe originof thiswork;itisknownthat itis one of
the firstordersthat Leonardogot while he wasinVerrocchio'sworkshop.Itisbelieved thatitisa
workof collaborationwithDomenicoGhirlandaioorone of the disciples,bysome features:the
Virginisonthe rightand the angel onthe left,characteristicof the Florentinepaintings;in
addition,the headof the angel lacksthe typical fade of Leonardo,appearingcompacthair.
Nevertheless,the angel seemsclose tothe invoiceof the one thatappearsinthe Baptismof Christ
of Verrocchio,andthere are twocertaindrawingsbyLeonardo,an ArmStudyat ChristChurch in
Oxfordanda Study of Draperyin the Louvre that refertoprecise,respectivelytothe archangel
and to the Virgin:althoughthere isinthe picture simplificationandconventionalismof
composition,thesefeaturescanbe attributedtothe relative inexperienceandthe need to
conclude,distantdemandof the spiritof Leonardo,aworkof whichcouldnotbe attributedfull
responsibility
The work wasunknownuntil 1867, whenitreachedthe Uffizi in1867 from the sacristyof the
church of SanBartolomeo,attachedtothe suppressedmonasteryof Olivetanos.Thenitwas
attributedtoGhirlandaio,whowas,like Leonardo,anapprentice inVerrocchio'sworkshop;there
are alsosome whoconsideredittobe the work of the latter.In 1869, some criticsrecognizeditas
Leonardo'syouth work.
On March 12, 2007 the paintingwasthe centerof a controversybetweenItaliancitizensandthe
Ministryof Culture,whichdecidedtolendthe paintingforanexhibitioninTokyo(Japan),entitled
The mindof Leonardo,fromMay to June 17