Florence Times
Leonardo da Vinci
April 15,1452--May 2, 1519

Anchiano--Leonardo da Vinci, age 67, died on May 2, 1519 in his own home.
Born in Anchiano on April 5,1452 Leonardo was the son of Ser Piero d’ Anonio and Caterina. He was known for his extraordinary talents in the arts and mathematics. Leonardo was often to be found out sketching plants and animals.
While Leonardo was growing up, he was able to read many scholarly texts that his family and friends owned. The city of Vinci also had a very long painting tradition that he was exposed to. At the age of fifteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. He painted many works of art during this period. One of his most popular works during this time was when he painted an angel in Verrochio's "Baptism of Christ". Leonardo's angel was so much better than Verrochio's works that Verrochio resolved to never paint again. Throughout the years, Leonardo created many great paintings. His most famous being Mona Lisa and The Lord’s Supper.
In 477, Leonardo left the Verrochio workshop and got a place for himself. In 1482, he went into the service of the Duke of Milan. He even abandoned his first commission in Florence, "The Adoration of the Magi", to do this. Leonardo stayed in Milan for seventeen years. During this time he made many artistic and scientific achievements. The Duke had Leonardo paint and sculpt a lot but he also had him design buildings, weapons and machinery. In addition, Leonardo produced many studies on lots of topics, such as flying machines, nature, geometry, municipal construction, mechanics and architecture.1
Leonardo’s work began to slow because of strokes and paroxysm. The Duke soon became Leonardo’s primary care giver. Soon after, Leonardo was found dead in his bed.
The funeral service will be held on May 4, 1519 at the Anchiano chapel.