The life of Leonardo da Vinci by John William Brown

Childhood and Apprenticeship

The numerous works on scientific subjects that Leonardo has left to posterity, sufficiently, prove how well he must have employed his youth, though very little is to be found inthe writings of his contemporaries to give us any information of the occurrences of his every-day life. Both Vasari and Lomazzo relate that he invented various machines for lifting great weights, penetrating mountains, conducting water from one place to another, and innumerable models for watches, windmills, and presses.

Two of the many projects which Leonardo had in contemplation, some of which were almost too wild for belief, deserve to be particularly noticed. One of them was to lift up the Cathedral of San Lorenzo bodily, or rather en muse, by means of immense levers, and in such a manner that he pretended the edifice would not receive the slightest injury. The other, which was more feasible, was to form the Arno into a canal as far as Pisa, and which would have been extremely beneficial to the commerce of Tuscany. That Leonardo continued to reside at Florence, or at least in its neighbourhood, is confirmed by the story Vasari relates of the " Rotella del Fico," which was a round pieceof wood cut from the largest fig-tree on his father's estate.

The Signore Pietro was very fond of field sports and country amusements; and one of his "Contadini" who was particularly useful to him on these occasions, brought him a piece of wood, requesting him to have something painted on it as an ornament for his cottage. Willing to gratify his favourite, he desired his son to do as the man wished; and Leonardo determined to paint something that should astonish his father by the great progress he had made in his art. This piece of wood most have been roughly made and badly put together, as our young artist was obliged to have it planed off and the interstices filled up 'with stucco, so as to leave a surface sufficiently smooth for his purpose.

He then considered for some time what he should represent, and at length determined on painting a monster that should have the effect of Medusa's head on all beholders. For this purpose he collected every kind of reptile, vipers, adders, lizards, toads, serpents and other poisonous or obnoxious animals, and formed a monster so wonderfully designed, that it appeared to flash lire from its eyes, and almost to infect the air with its breath. When he had succeeded to his wishes in this horrible composition, he called his father to try its effect upon him; who, not expecting what he was to see, started back with horror and affright, and waif just going to run out of the room, when Leonardo stopped him by assuring him it was the work of his own hands, exclaiming, " that he was quite satisfied, as his picture had the effect he anticipated."

The Signore Pietro was of course too much delighted with his son's performance to think of giving it to his " Contadino," for whom he procured an ordinary painting, and sold Leonardo's to a merchant of. Florence for one hundred ducats. This was a very large sum to give for a picture, when the value of money at the time is remembered; but it was soon after sold to the Duke of Milan for three times the original cost.

The life of a painter, however celebrated cannot be expected to furnish the same variety of incidents as that of a warrior or a statesman, though the civil virtues and splendid talents of Leonardo da Vinci were probably more useful to his country than the warlike qualifications of his more ambitious contemporaries, which were usually accompanied by violence and followed by remorse.