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Leonardo da Vinci
High Renaissance

Leonardo
Vinci

1452 – 1519Italian

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci[b][c](15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italianpolymathof theHigh Renaissancewho was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect.While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he has also become known forhis notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, andpalaeontology. Leonardo is widely regarded as a genius who epitomised theRenaissance humanistideal,andhis collective workscontributed to the development of European art to an extent rivalled only by that of his younger contemporaryMichelangelo.

Selected Works

Born
1452
Died
1519
Nationality
Italian
Movement
High Renaissance

Selected Masterworks

Definitive works that define this master's artistic legacy.

View all 26 works
Mona Lisa
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1503–1516

Mona Lisa

1503–1516Major Work
Louvre, Paris

The Mona Lisa[a] is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, [and] the most parodied work of art in the world." The painting's novel qualities include the subject's enigmatic expression, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism.

The Last Supper
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1492–1498

The Last Supper

1492–1498Major Work
Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

The Last Supper (Italian: Il Cenacolo [il tʃeˈnaːkolo] or L'Ultima Cena [ˈlultima ˈtʃeːna]) is a mural painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to c. 1495–1498, housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John – specifically the moment after Jesus announces that one of his apostles will betray him.

Lady with an Ermine
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1489–1491

Lady with an Ermine

1489–1491Major Work
Czartoryski Museum, Krakow, Poland

The Lady with an Ermine[n 1] is a portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Dated to c. 1489–1491, the work is painted in oils on a panel of walnut wood. Its subject is Cecilia Gallerani, a mistress of Ludovico Sforza ("Il Moro"), Duke of Milan; Leonardo was painter to the Sforza court in Milan at the time of its execution.

The Vitruvian Man
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1485

The Vitruvian Man

1485Major Work
Accademia, Venice

Vitruvian Man (Italian: L'uomo vitruviano) is a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to c. 1490. Inspired by the Roman architect Vitruvius, it depicts a nude man in two overlapping standing positions, inscribed within a circle and a square. Art historian Carmen C. Bambach described it as "justly ranked among the all-time iconic images of Western civilization".

Virgin of the Rocks
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1483–1493

Virgin of the Rocks

1483–1493Major Work
Louvre, Paris

The Virgin of the Rocks (Italian: Vergine delle rocce), sometimes the Madonna of the Rocks, is the name of two paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, of the same subject, with a composition which is identical except for several significant details. The version generally considered the prime version, the earlier of the two, is unrestored and hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The other, which was restored between 2008 and 2010, hangs in the National Gallery, London.

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Open the studio to set influence weights and commence co-creation.

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