About the Artist

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 Vinci near Empoli-1519 Clox near Amboise) is one of the best-known and most important figures in western art. Beginning around 1468 he studied with Andrea del Berecchio, and continued in his workshop until 1477 although he had already become a member of the guild of Florentine painters in 1472. Leonardo spent the period from 1482/83 to 1499 in the service of Ludovico il Moro (1452-1508) in Milan, where he returned in 1506 after stays in Mantua, Venice, and Florence. In 1513 he moved to Rome, and eventually answered the call to the court of Francis I (1494-1547). Leonardo was not only a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer, but also wrote scholarly treatises on anatomy and other subjects, He thus embodied the Renaissance ideal of the universally-educated artist, active in all forms of art. Leonardo had great influence of the history of painting through his mastery of pictorial composition and introduction of new ways of painting. His works include The Baptism of Christ, c. 1474, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence; The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1481, Galleria degi Uffizi, Florence; and The Madonna of the Rocks, c. 1506, The National Gallery, London.