Leonardo da Vinci
An illegitimate birth barred him from university and the notary guild; a workshop apprenticeship at 14 did not.
Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, Republic of Florence (now Italy). Leonardo da Vinci's background is described as Tuscan; illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman. Growing up, the family was middle class — his notary father never married his mother; he was raised in his grandfather's household and denied a classical education. An illegitimate birth barred him from university and the notary guild; a workshop apprenticeship at 14 did not.
- Born
- 1452 · Vinci, Republic of Florence (now Italy)
- Roots
- Tuscan; illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman
- Family
- Middle class
- His notary father never married his mother; he was raised in his grandfather's household and denied a classical education.
- Education
- No formal schooling in Latin; apprenticed in Verrocchio's workshop
- Started with
- An apprenticeship
- Placed in Verrocchio's Florence workshop at about 14 — the standard entry for a boy his birth excluded from the professions.
- Affiliations & societies
- Guild of Saint LukeDocumented
- Registered as a master in the Florentine painters' guild in 1472.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1466 · age 14Verrocchio's workshop
Grinds pigments, casts bronze, and learns anatomy by drawing.
- 1472 · age 20Guild master
Registered in the Guild of Saint Luke; stays with Verrocchio anyway.
- 1482 · age 30The letter to Milan
Applies to Ludovico Sforza listing war machines first; painting is mentioned last.
- 1498 · age 46The Last Supper
Painted on a refectory wall in an experimental technique that begins failing within his lifetime.
- 1503 · age 51Mona Lisa
Begins the portrait he carries with him, unfinished by his standards, for the rest of his life.
- 1516 · age 64France
Invited by Francis I as First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King; brings some 13,000 pages of notebooks.
- 1519 · age 67Dies at Clos Lucé
Frequently asked questions
Where is Leonardo da Vinci from?
Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, Republic of Florence (now Italy). Their background is described as Tuscan; illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman.
When was Leonardo da Vinci born?
Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, in Vinci, Republic of Florence (now Italy).
What is Leonardo da Vinci's background or ethnicity?
Leonardo da Vinci's roots are described as Tuscan; illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman. These are broad categories drawn from public sources, not statements about how the person identifies.
Where did Leonardo da Vinci go to school?
Leonardo da Vinci's education: No formal schooling in Latin; apprenticed in Verrocchio's workshop.
What was Leonardo da Vinci's family background growing up?
At birth the family was middle class. His notary father never married his mother; he was raised in his grandfather's household and denied a classical education.
How did Leonardo da Vinci get started?
Leonardo da Vinci started with an apprenticeship. Placed in Verrocchio's Florence workshop at about 14 — the standard entry for a boy his birth excluded from the professions.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.