The life of Leonardo da Vinci by John William Brown
Leonardo's Florentine period
In 1504 Leonardo do Vinci lost his father, with whom he had always continued on the most affectionate terms. Whatever might have been his birth, he had made a point of keeping up a constant correspondence and perfectly good understanding with his family. It appears that soon after the Signore Pietro' death, he placed a considerable sum of money at interest with the chamberlain of Santa Maria Nuova, as there are several memoranda among his papers of his having received small payments at different times from this person, and he afterwards disposed of this particular property in his will. From this we may suppose that some of his works had been very liberally rewarded, as this money could only have been acquired by his own exertions.
It is Ammoretti's opinion that he visited France in 1506, but there is not sufficient proof of his having undertaken that journey, in the several memoranda on which this gentleman hazards his assertion foe they might have as easily referred to his sub. sequent residence in that country, although he certainly considered himself in the service of the King of France as sovereign of Milan. In whatever way he employed the intermediate time, it is certain that Leonardo was again in Lombardy in 1507, as there is the following memorandum in his own handwriting "Canonico di Vaprio a di 5 Luglio 1507, cara mia diletta Madre et mia Sorella et mia Cognata avvissovi come sono sano per la grazia di Dio;" which sufficiently proves the fact of his having been staying at that time with his friends the Melzi.
That he was frequently in the habit of residing with them, not only at their house at Canonica, but also at their palace at Vaprio, there remains a proof as glorious to the artist's feelings as to his generous patrons, in the picture of the Madonna and Child which he painted on the wall of his apartment in their palace. The head of the Madonna is six palms in height and that of the Child four. This painting suffered considerably in 1796, by some soldiers having made a fire close to the wall on which it is executed; but the faces are still in tolerable preservation.
In 1507 Louis the Twelfth of France, finding himself continually disturbed by the possession of his Lombard dominions by the Venetians and the States of the Church, joined the famous league of Cambray, that he might be at more liberty to invade Italy with a sufficient force to establish his affairs on a firmer basis of political security. The King's forces were principally directed by the councils and military experience of Ginn Jacopo Triulzio, who commanded under him. The two armies engaged at Agnadello, near the Adda, where the King gained a most complete victory over the Venetians, and returned to Milan to celebrate his triumphs and revive the drooping spirits of its inhabitants by the presence of his splendid court.
These fetes and entertainments must have again called forth Leonardo's exertions, for they are described with great pomp by Arluno, in a manuscript now in the Ambrosian Library, who talks of the triumphal arches and paintings executed by the first masters in honour of the occasion. Although he does not mention Leonardo da Vinci's name, he evidently alludes to him by his making use of the phrase "pitture mollissime", which that author was accustomed to apply to him alone. Besides which, it is well known that he was in great favour with his Majesty at that time, as he appointed him painter to the Court of France, and gave him twelve ounces of water from the canal of the Martesana, which was a sort of right of property extremly valuable to its possessor. As for as this gift can be at present understood, it appears that he was entitled to as much water as could be drawn off by a tunnel that measured one foot in diameter, which is equal to twelve ounces, and that he had the right of applying this to whatever purpose he pleased.
