Table of Contents
Foreword 9
Introduction 13
Chapter 1 The World of Leonardo 17
What's in a Name? 18
The da Vinci in Florentine Society: Posh or Not? 19
The Making of Leonardo's Florence 21
Making Money the Florentine Way 23
The Foundation of Leonardo's World 25
Chapter 2 The Childhood Of Leonardo 27
Growing Up in and Around Vinci 31
Leonardo: The Budding Artist 34
Chapter 3 Leonardo the Apprentice 39
Culture Shock 41
Learning the Ropes 42
Finally! Learning to Paint - Almost 47
Andreas Studio: The Place to Be 49
Chapter 4 A Youth in Florence 53
The Medici: A Florentine Powerhouse 54
Leonardo's First Encounter 55
Poodles, Portraits, and Professional Credentials 58
A Rough Start 65
Assassinations 66
Chapter 5 New Beginnings 71
New Friends, New Horizons 74
Leonardo and Lorenzo 76
Final Straw 79
A New Adventure 81
A Whole New World 82
Chapter 6 Leonardo in Milan 85
The City of St. Ambrose 87
A Recipe for Success 88
Leonardo and Ludovico 91
Getting Settled 92
Flights of Fancy 93
Leonardo the Engineer - Almost 96
"Give Thanks … to the Genius and Hand of Leonardo" 97
Chapter 7 Leonardo the Celebrity 99
The Sforza Horse 100
Leonardo Sets up Shop Again 103
Interlude: The Vitruvian Man 106
Completing the Sforza Horse: Almost 110
Dreams Melt Away 112
From the Ashes: The Last Supper 114
Chapter 8 Leonardo on the Move 119
The Luxury of Mantua and the Canals of Venice 120
Homecoming 121
Fame in Florence 122
"Our Most Excellent and Well-Beloved Architect and General Engineer Leonardo" 124
Mona Lisa 127
Dueling Painters: Leonardo and Michelangelo 130
Death and a Homecoming 132
Thinking of Flight 133
Chapter 9 Leonardo and the French 137
Oui Oui, mon ami 139
Bad Blood 142
Back in Milan: Out with the Old and in with the New 144
Trading a Paintbrush for a Scalpel 146
Clouds on the Horizon 147
Chapter 10 Final Travels 149
Familiar Names 152
The Eternal City 153
Fruit from the Rotten Tree 155
Papal Troubles 157
Reconciliation 158
A Way Out 159
Final Trip 161
Chapter 11 Leonardo's Legacy 165
The Fate of his Friends 166
Leonardo's Fame 167
Authors note 171
Glossary 173
Leonardo's Timeline 177
Timeline of Paintings and Drawings 179
Bibliography 181
Index 185
About the Author 187
