Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

(April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

painter and

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

who achieved legendary fame and iconic status within his own lifetime. His renown primarily rests upon his brilliant achievements as a painter, the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

'' and ''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

'', being two of the most famous artworks ever created, but also upon his diverse skills as a scientist and inventor. He became so highly valued during his lifetime that the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

bore him home like a trophy of war, supported him in his old age and, according to legend, cradled his head as he died. Leonardo's portrait was used, within his own lifetime, as the iconic image of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

's ''

School of Athens A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

''. His biography was written in superlative terms by

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

. He has been repeatedly acclaimed the greatest genius to have lived. His painting of the ''Mona Lisa'' has been the most imitated artwork of all time and his drawing the ''

Vitruvian Man The ''Vitruvian Man'' ( it, L'uomo vitruviano; ) is a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to . Inspired by the writings by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, the drawing depicts a nude man in two s ...

'' iconically represents the fusion of Art and Science. Leonardo's biography has appeared in many forms, both scholarly and fictionalized. Every known aspect of his life has been scrutinized and analyzed. His paintings, drawings and notebooks have been studied, reproduced and analyzed for five centuries. The interest in and appreciation of the character of Leonardo and his talents has never waned. Leonardo has appeared in many fictional works, such as novels, television shows, video games and movies, the first such fiction dating from the 16th century. Various characters have been named after him.

Artworks after originals by Leonardo

Copies

Peter Paul Ruben's copy of the lost Battle of Anghiari

Leonardo's pupils and followers copied or closely imitated many of his pictures. Several of his important works exist only as copies by his admirers. These include: * His cartoon of ''

The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist ''The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist'', sometimes called ''The Burlington House Cartoon'', is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The drawing is in charcoal and black and white chalk, on eight sheets of paper that are glue ...

'' copied as an oil painting by Luini * ''The Battle of Anghiari'' was copied several times by unknown Florentine artists as well by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

* ''

Leda and the Swan Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the sa ...

'' exists only as copies in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

and Villa Borhgese Other much much-copied works include: * ''Mona Lisa'' for which Angela della Chiesa cites 14 examples of which 6 are bare-breasted. These include paintings by

Bernardino Luini Bernardino Luini (c. 1480/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having ...

Salaì Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì (1480 – January 19, 1524) was an Italian artist and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci from 1490 to 1518. Salaì entered Leonardo's household at the age of ten. He created paintings under the name ...

and

Joos van Cleve Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...

* ''

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

'' for which there exist at least five versions by other hands including Salai

Parodies of the ''Mona Lisa''

No painting has been more imitated and satirised than the ''Mona Lisa''. Beginning possibly with a naked portrait of

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...

by Clouet, the pose and expression have been freely adapted to many female portraits. The

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

art world has made note of the undeniable fact of the ''Mona Lisa's'' popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature,

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

ists and

Surrealists Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

often produce modifications and

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

s. Already in 1883, ''Le rire,'' an image of a Mona Lisa smoking a pipe, by Sapeck (Eugène Bataille), was shown at the "

Incoherents The Incoherents (''Les Arts incohérents'') was a short-lived French art movement founded by Parisian writer and publisher Jules Lévy(French) (1857–1935) in 1882, which in its satirical irreverence, anticipated many of the art techniques and ...

" show in Paris. In 1919,

Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, , ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso ...

, one of the most influential modern artists, created ''

L.H.O.O.Q. ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' () is a work of art by Marcel Duchamp. First conceived in 1919, the work is one of what Duchamp referred to as readymades, or more specifically a rectified ready-made.

'', a ''Mona Lisa'' parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and a goatee, as well as adding the rude inscription, when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" literally translated: "she has a hot ass". This is a manner of implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and availability. This was intended as a Freudian joke, referring to Leonardo's alleged homosexuality. According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face.

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, famous for his surrealist work, painted ''Self portrait as Mona Lisa'' in 1954. In 1963 following the painting's visit to the United States,

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

created

serigraph Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh ...

prints of multiple ''Mona Lisa''s called ''Thirty are Better than One'', like his works of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

(''Twenty-five Coloured Marilyns'', 1962),

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

(1964) and

Campbell's soup Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become ...

(1961–1962).

Replicas of lost works

" Il Gran Cavallo". This monumental bronze horse, 7 metres (24 feet) high, is a conjectural re-creation of a clay horse that was created in Milan by Leonardo da Vinci for the

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

and was intended to be cast in bronze. Leonardo never finished the project because of war with France, and the clay horse was ruined. This representation was based on a number of Leonardo's preparatory drawings. It was created in 1999 in New York and given to the city of Milan.

Presentation of existing works

'' is to be the subject of an animation by British film-maker

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...

, who plans to project interpretative images onto its surface to enliven the scene in which the apostles all question Jesus' statement that one of them will betray him.

Representations of Leonardo in art

''The Death of Leonardo''

The story of Leonardo dying in the arms of the French king

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

, although apocryphal, appealed to the self-image of later French kings and to French history painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Apparently on commission from Louis XVI, Ménageot painted ''The Death of Leonardo da Vinci in the arms of Francis I'' in 1781, setting it in a background of classical statuary. This painting, which was the triumph of the Salon of 1781, included a portrayal of the

Borghese Gladiator The ''Borghese Gladiator'' is a Hellenistic life-size marble sculpture portraying a swordsman, created at Ephesus about 100 BC, now on display at the Louvre. Sculptor The sculpture is signed on the pedestal by Agasias, son of Dositheus, who i ...

(Ménageot probably having seen it at the

Villa Borghese Villa Borghese or Villa Borghese Pinciana ('Borghese family{{!Borghese villa on the Pincian Hill') is the villa built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio (and, after his death, finished by his assistant Giovanni Vasanzio), developing sketches by Scip ...

during his stay at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (french: Académie de France à Rome) is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1 ...

from 1769 to 1774), although this was an anachronism since Leonardo died in 1519, about ninety years before the statue was discovered. In 1818 ''

The Death of Leonardo da Vinci ''The Death of Leonardo da Vinci'' or ''Francis I Receives the Last Breaths of Leonardo da Vinci'' is an 1818 painting by the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, showing the painter Leonardo da Vinci dying, with Francis I of France holdin ...

'' by the French painter,

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ...

, depicts the scene of Leonardo's death shown taking place in the home

Clos Lucé The Château du Clos Lucé (or simply Clos Lucé), formerly called Manoir du Cloux, is a large château located in the center of Amboise, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It is located in the natur ...

, which was provided for him at

Amboise Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home of the French royal court. Geography Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about away f ...

by King

. The King is shown supporting Leonardo's head as he dies, as described by

, watched by the Dauphin who is comforted by a cardinal. A distraught young man may represent Leonardo's pupil Melzi. The treatment of this subject by Ingres is indicative of Leonardo's iconic status and also specifically that he was of particular significance to the school of French Classicism. A number of his paintings had passed into the Royal collection and certain elements of them were much imitated. Leonardo's manner of soft shading known as

sfumato Sfumato (, ) is a painting technique for softening the transition between colours, mimicking an area beyond what the human eye is focusing on, or the out-of-focus plane. It is one of the canonical painting modes of the Renaissance. Leonardo da V ...

was particularly adapted by Ingres,

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

and their followers. An influential painting was ''

Leda and the swan Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the sa ...

'', now regarded as by a pupil of Leonardo but then generally accepted as the master's work.

Statues

* A monument to Leonardo was erected in 1872 in Piazza del Scala, Milan. It comprises five marble statues by Pietro Magni, of Leonardo and his pupils

Cesare da Sesto Cesare da Sesto (1477–1523) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance active in Milan and elsewhere in Italy. Life Cesare da Sesto was born in Sesto Calende, Lombardy. He is considered one of the ''Leonardeschi'' or artists influenced by Leo ...

Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (or Beltraffio) (1466 or 1467 – 1516) was an Italian painter of the High Renaissance from Lombardy, who worked in the studio of Leonardo da Vinci. Boltraffio and Bernardino Luini are the strongest artistic personal ...

Marco d'Oggiono Marco d'Oggiono (c. 1470 – c. 1549) was an Italian Renaissance painter and a chief pupil of Leonardo da Vinci, many of whose works he copied.Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Marco D'Oggione", ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York: Robert Appl ...

and “ Andrea Salaino”, and four reliefs depicting scenes in Leonardo's life. * A statue of Leonardo by the Bulgarian sculptor Assen Peikov stands outside

Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci" ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma–Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci"; ) is an international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, serving Rome. It is the busiest airport in the country, the ...

(

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

). File:Lombardia Milano2 tango7174.jpg, Leonardo Monument, Milan File:Statue of Leonardo da Vinci (Uffizi).jpg, The statue of Leonardo outside the Uffizi, Florence File:Leonardo IMG_1759.JPG, Statue of Leonardo in the pose of a river god in

References in other media

Novels and short stories

* ''The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci'' (1901) by

Dmitry Merezhkovsky Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky ( rus, Дми́трий Серге́евич Мережко́вский, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪrʲɪˈʂkofskʲɪj; – December 9, 1941) was a Russian novelist, poet, religious thinker, ...

. * '' The Second Mrs. Giaconda'' (1975) by

E. L. Konigsburg Elaine Lobl Konigsburg (February 10, 1930 – April 19, 2013) was an American writer and illustrator of children's literature, children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American ...

is a children's novel about why Leonardo painted the ''Mona Lisa''. * ''Leonardo Da Vinci: Detective'' a short story by Theodore Mathieson, portrays him using his genius to solve a murder during his time in France. * ''Pasquale's Angel'' by

Paul J. McAuley Paul J. McAuley (born 23 April 1955) is a British botanist and science fiction author. A biologist by training, McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction. His novels dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternative history/alternative re ...

, set in an

alternate universe Parallel universe often refers to parallel universes in fiction, a self-contained separate world, universe or reality coexisting with the real world, which is used as a recurring plot point or setting used in fantasy and science fiction. Parallel ...

Florence, portrays Leonardo as "the Great Engineer", creating a premature

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

(see

clockpunk Since the advent of the cyberpunk genre, a number of derivatives of cyberpunk have become recognized in their own right as distinct subgenres in speculative fiction, especially in science fiction. Rather than necessarily sharing the digitally and ...

). * The novel ''The Memory Cathedral'' by

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-edit ...

is a fictional account of a "lost year" in the life of Leonardo. Dann has his genius protagonist actually create his flying machine. *The novel ''

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

'' by

Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley Timothy Findley's
entry in

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

. *

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

's character Leonard of Quirm (or da Quirm) is a

pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...

of Leonardo. A talented artist and inventor,

Lord Vetinari Lord Havelock Vetinari, Lord Patrician (Primus inter pares) of the city-state of Ankh-Morpork, is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series, a series of forty-one books describing a parallel universe whose main world has ...

, the Patrician of

Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art o ...

, imprisoned Leonard as it would have been dangerous to fall into the wrong hands given Leonard's naïvety regarding the military applications of some of his inventions (particularly his conceptual siege weapons). Leonard's talent for inventing does not extend to names which are often clunky circumlocutions; for example, his

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

is called a 'Going-Under-the-Water-Safely Device'. * Crowley, the demon in ''

Good Omens ''Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch'' is a 1990 novel written as a collaboration between the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The book is a comedy about the birth of the son of Satan and the c ...

'' by Pratchett and

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

, owns the original sketch or cartoon of the

and considers it superior to the finished work. * Three novels by

Martin Woodhouse Martin Charlton Woodhouse (29 August 1932 – 15 May 2011) was a British author and scriptwriter. He is most famous as a writer for the TV series '' The Avengers'', but he also authored or co-authored eleven novels. He was a former medical docto ...

and Robert Ross feature the adventures of Leonardo da Vinci in the guise of a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

-type spy of the Italian Renaissance: ''The Medici Guns'' (1974); ''The Medici Emerald'' and ''The Medici Hawks''. * '' The Secret Supper'' (2006) by Javier Sierra explores the symbology of Leonardo's ''

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

'', and its threat to the Catholic Church, as he is painting the fresco in 15th century Milan. *''

Black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Black Madonna can be found both ...

'' (1996) by

Carl Sargent Carl Lynwood Sargent (11 December 1952 – 12 September 2018) was a British parapsychologist and author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels, who used the pen name Keith Martin to write ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks. Early life ...

and

Marc Gascoigne Marc Gascoigne (born 5 July 1962 at Temple Ewell with River, near Dover, Kent) is a British author and editor. He is the editor, author or co-author of more than fifty books and gaming related titles, notably various ''Fighting Fantasy'' books, ...

, is set in the

Shadowrun ''Shadowrun'' is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspir ...

game universe and portrays Leonardo as still living in the 21st century, blackmailing corporations to finance his inventions. *'' The Medici Seal'', a children's novel by

Theresa Breslin Theresa Breslin is a Scottish author. Winner of many literary awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal, Theresa Breslin is the popular, critically acclaimed author of over 50 titles covering every age range, whose books have been adapte ...

(2006). *In the ''

Children of the Red King Charlie Bone is a series of ten children's fantasy, school and adventure novels written by British author Jenny Nimmo, first published by Egmont 2002 to 2010. It is sometimes called "the ''Charlie Bone'' series" after its main character. A ser ...

'' series, a Donatella da Vinci married a Bertram Babbington-Bloor. Donatella was the daughter of an Italian magician. No connection between Leonardo and Donatella has been stated since. * In

Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

's 1957 novel ''

The Door Into Summer ''The Door into Summer'' is a science fiction novel by American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (October, November, December 1956, with covers and interior illustr ...

'', Dr. Twitchell recounts a tale of a student whom he displaced in time by 500 years. While there was no way of knowing whether the student went to the past or the future, Dr. Twitchell hints that he believes it was the past due to the student's name—Leonard Vincent. * In the novel ''Saturn's Apprentice'' by M.A. Lang, an alchemical experiment gone wrong causes Leonardo to be lost in the present day, while back in Renaissance Florence his friend Tomasso Masini desperately tries to save him. * Leonardo da Vinci is a significant character in the novels '' Assassin's Creed: Renaissance'' (2009) and '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' (2010), books based on the video game series ''

Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice D ...

''. Leonardo is portrayed as a close friend of the protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a Florentine nobleman's son who joined the Assassin Brotherhood after the murder of his father and brothers by the ruling families of Italy, each part of the once thought disbanded Knight's Templar. Leonardo helps the assassin decipher encrypted codex pages left behind by legendary master assassin, Altair (the protagonist of the original ''Assassin's Creed'' game). Leonardo's flying machine is successfully built and helps Ezio travel across

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in order to assassinate one of his targets. Leonardo makes a brief appearance in '' Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' novel. Ezio and his close friend and fellow Assassin,

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...

visit him during the week that he died, present at his side while he passes away. Machiavelli recalls a rumour that King Francis cradled his head in his arms as he died, to which Ezio remarked: "Some people – even Kings – will do anything for publicity".

''The Da Vinci Code''

This work of fiction has been the centre of controversy over the accuracy of its depictions of Christianity and of Leonardo. A bestselling 2003 novel by

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), ''In ...

, adapted and released as a major

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

in 2006, ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...

'' revolves around a conspiracy based on elements of Leonardo's ''

'' and other works. A preface to the novel claims that depictions of artworks, secret societies and rites described within the novel are factual. For this reason much of the content of the novel has been widely accepted by readers as authoritative. Because the theme involves a conspiracy within the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

over the life of Jesus and the suggestion that the Church has hidden the facts of his marriage, there has been a strong reaction against the novel and much material published examining and refuting its claims. Within the novel it is claimed that from 1510–1519, Leonardo was the Grand Master of a secret society, the

Priory of Sion The ''Prieuré de Sion'' (), translated as Priory of Sion, was a fraternal organization founded in France in 1956 by Pierre Plantard in his failed attempt to create a prestigious neo-chivalric order. In the 1960s, Plantard began claiming that ...

. In reality this society existed only as a 20th-century hoax, but author Dan Brown used as a source the 1982

pseudohistory Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record, often by employing methods resembling those used in scholarly historical research. The related term cryptohistory is applied to pseudohist ...

book ''

The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' (published as ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail'' in the United States) is a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh (author), Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. The book was first published in 1982 by Jonathan Cape in ...

''. The writers of this book had based their research on forged medieval documents that had been created as part of the Priory of Sion fraud. The mix of fact and fiction in the documents made it difficult to discount immediately as a forgery. For example, it was claimed that the Grand Master prior to Leonardo was

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered ...

, who had indeed had an association with Leonardo, as they were both students at the Florence workshop of

Andrea del Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the su ...

. The Priory of Sion story and the veracity of ''

'' was eventually debunked, and many of those involved publicly recanted, although Dan Brown continued to assert that the facts as presented were true. In portraying the Priory of Sion as "fact" ''The Da Vinci Code'' expanded on the claims in ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'': * That there were additional secrets hidden in Leonardo's paintings, such as an "M" letter in the painting of

, indicating the presence of

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

and that the figure to the left of Jesus traditionally said to represent

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

actually represents

. * That the ''Mona Lisa'' was actually a self-portrait. * That among the differences in the two versions of the painting of the ''

Virgin of the Rocks The ''Virgin of the Rocks'' ( it, Vergine delle rocce), sometimes the ''Madonna of the Rocks'', is the name of two paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, of the same subject, with a composition which is identical except fo ...

'' which hang in the

and London's National Gallery, London, National Gallery, is the fact that in the Louvre painting the baby to the left of the picture depicts Jesus, and to the right John the Baptist, rather than the accepted view, which is the other way round. * That Leonardo invented a cryptex for carrying secret messages. The book also used a variation of Leonardo's backwards handwriting to hide a secret message on the American bookjacket. Among the many criticisms of Brown's writing is that he uses the name da Vinci (meaning "from Vinci") in the manner that surnames are commonly used nowadays. Leonardo would never have been referred to simply as "da Vinci" in his lifetime. Such designations were appended to common baptismal names in order to identify individuals.

Film

Films that are about the life of Leonardo or in which he appears as a character: * ''Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1919) – silent film *''The Life of Leonardo da Vinci'' (1971) starring Philippe Leroy (actor), Philippe Leroy as Leonardo da Vinci *''Nothing Left to Do But Cry'' (1984) starring Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi *''Quest of the Delta Knights'' (1993) depicting a fictional version of the young Leonardo * '' Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1996) – animated movie * ''Ever After'' (1998) starring Drew Barrymore and Patrick Godfrey as Leonardo da Vinci * ''Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry'' (2000) starring Mattia Sbragia as Leonardo da Vinci * ''The Virgins of Sherwood Forest'' (2000) and ''The Exotic Time Machine II'' (2000) – two Softcore pornography, softcore films by Full Moon Features, Surrender Cinema filmed in close succession. Both feature Leonardo encountered via a time-travel plot; he is played by a different actor in each film. * ''Leonardo'' (2003) – TV movie starring Mark Rylance as Leonardo da Vinci * In ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' (2014), Leonardo and Peabody work together to build a machine to recharge the Wayback Machine (Peabody's Improbable History), WABAC machine. However, Peabody first helps Leonardo make Mona Lisa smile. At the end of the film, Leonardo and Mona Lisa are doing graffiti. Leonardo's glider also appears in a scene where Sherman and Penny use it to fly through Florence. * ''Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa'' (2018), an animated movie that focuses on a teenage Leonardo who meets and falls in love with a teenage Mona Lisa as they work together to fight pirates. *''Leonardo: The Works'' (2019) – an Phil Grabsky, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN documentary film showing all the attributed painting of Leonardo da Vinci Films that refer to Leonardo's works or inventions: * ''Hudson Hawk'' (1991), starring Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello, revolves around Leonardo da Vinci's inventions *''The Da Vinci Code (film), The Da Vinci Code'' (2006) starring Tom Hanks *''The Da Vinci Treasure'' (2006) depicts Leonardo's paintings as clues that lead to enlightenment *''The Three Musketeers (2011 film), The Three Musketeers'' (2011) depicts the musketeers stealing plans by Leonardo for an airship from "Leonardo's vault" in Venice *''The Lost Leonardo'' (2021 film) – documentary about the discovery of the ''Salvator Mundi (Leonardo), Salvator Mundi'' and its 2017 record sale for $450 million

Theatre

* Peter Barnes (playwright), Peter Barnes's 1969 play ''Leonardo's Last Supper'' centres on Leonardo being "resurrected" in a filthy charnel house after being prematurely declared dead. * David Davalos's 2002 play ''Daedalus'' tells a fantasized story of Leonardo's time as a military engineer in the service of Cesare Borgia, in the company of Lucrezia Borgia and

Music

*Author Charles Anthony Silvestri and composer Eric Whitacre collaborated to create an "opera bréve" based on text from Leonardo's journals and original text by Silvestri. This piece, ''Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine,'' was modeled after Leonardo's conceptual flying machine. This piece was written on commission by the American Choral Directors Association as the second piece in Whitacre's series of ''Element Works,'' the first being ''Cloudburst (Whitacre), Cloudburst'', written in 1992. *Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie performed as Leonardo in the progressive metal album ''Leonardo: The Absolute Man'', an album which itself explored his life and works through the milieu of music. * In the Red Hot Chili Peppers video for Californication (song), Californication, Leonardo can be seen working on the Mona Lisa and a cartoon John Frusciante can later be seen riding Leonardo's helicopter. * Mona Lisa (singer), Mona Lisa is used as a stage name by Kimberley Leadbetter, an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter. * The Ballad of Mona Lisa is a song by Panic! at the Disco, an American rock band, published in February 2011. * ''Why Mona List Smiled'' is a song by Chris de Burgh from the album Moonfleet & Other Stories, about Leonardo and why he painted the Mona Lisa.

Television

* 1966: In "Martin Meets His Match", an episode of the science fiction sitcom ''My Favorite Martian'', Martin uses his time machine to bring Leonardo to the present day to help him repair his spaceship. Instead, Leonardo decides to steal his painting, the ''

'', and take it back with him. * 1967: In the ''Bewitched'' episode "Samantha's Da Vinci Dilemma", Aunt Clara tries to conjure up a house painter, but she goofs and summons Leonardo da Vinci from the past instead. * 1969: In the ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek'' episode "Requiem for Methuselah", Leonardo da Vinci is revealed to be one of many aliases of "Flint", an immortal man born in the year 3834 BC. Leonardo's abilities and knowledge are thus attributed to centuries of scientific and artistic study. Leonardo appears again in the ''Star Trek'' universe, in the series ''Star Trek: Voyager'', where he and his workshop are created as a hologram, holographic simulation. In the Starfleet Corps of Engineers novellas the main starship is the USS ''da Vinci'' (NCC-81623), named for the artist. * 1969: In the ''Ironside (TV series), Ironside'' Season 2 episode "The Prophecy," a fictional Leonardo painting called ''The Seraglio'' is stolen from a museum. A psychic friend of Ironside's tells Mark Sanger he will catch "a lovely black girl all in silver and emeralds with golden rings around her ankles," and it is Mark who saves the painting—which features a bejeweled black woman dancing in a seraglio—from rolling into the sea toward the end of the episode. * 1970: In the British comedy series ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' in the "Art Gallery Strike" sketch in the episode "Spam", the ''Mona Lisa'' was used in two animated links by Terry Gilliam, the first as one of many paintings going on strike (she dons a cap and declares in a low-pitched voice, "I'm off") and as a temptress who reveals large breasts under her garment; here she tells the viewer (in a seductive, smoky American accent), "Come over here to my window, big boy." * 1979: The ''Doctor Who'' episode "City of Death" features a theft of the ''Mona Lisa''. Doctor (Doctor Who), The Doctor goes back in time to visit Leonardo's workshop and claims to be an old acquaintance of the artist. Though Leonardo himself does not appear, he plays an important role in the plot, creating several copies of the ''Mona Lisa''. Leonardo also appears as a character in several ''Doctor Who'' novels, while "Mona Lisa's Revenge", a 2009 episode of the spin-off series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', is built around the concept that an alien criminal took on the form of the woman depicted in the Mona Lisa and was trapped within the painting for centuries. * 1984– : In the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' cartoon series, comics, films, and other media, the leader of the turtles is named Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, after Leonardo da Vinci. * 1989: In ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' live-action segment "The Painting", the Mario Bros. find a painting they believe to Leonardo's second version of ''

''. However, upon further examination, they discover that the painting is actually worthless because it was painted by an impostor. Much of the information dealing with Leonardo in this episode is incorrect. * 1989–1990: The anime ''Time Travel Tondekeman, Time Quest'' features Professor Leonardo as inventor of the kettle-shaped time machine, who is revealed to be Leonardo da Vinci in the final episodes. *1993: The game show ''Legends of the Hidden Temple'' features Leonardo in the legend that was told. The featured artifact was his paintbrush. *1995: The cartoon ''The Tick (1994 TV series), The Tick'' features Leonardo in "Leonardo DaVinci and his Fightin' Genius Time Commandos!" (Season 2, Episode 17) in which a number of famous inventors are brought to the present by an inventor seeking to take credit for their work. Leonardo is portrayed as being able to create fantastic flying devices out of rudimentary objects. * 1998: An episode of ''Histeria!'' focusing on the Renaissance featured a cartoon caricature of Leonardo as a host. Over the course of the episode, he is criticized by World's Oldest Woman for cross-dressing, wearing a dress, and also parodies Batman (TV series), the 1960s ''Batman'' series as Renaissance Man, with Loud Kiddington as his sidekick. * 1999: In the animated series ''Dilbert, Dilbert (TV series)'' episode "Art (Dilbert episode), Art" shows Leonardo as the secret ruler of the art world. He reveals that he discovered immortality centuries ago through the invention of the fountain of youth. * 1999: In ''Blackadder: Back & Forth'', Baldrick builds a Time travel, time machine to Leonardo's exact design specifications and it actually works. Earlier in the ''Blackadder'' series the episode ''Money (Blackadder), Money'' featured a painter by the name of “Leonardo Acropolis”, ostensibly based on Leonardo. * 2001–2006: The show ''Alias (TV Series), Alias'' features a character Milo Giacomo Rambaldi, a fictional character clearly based on Leonardo. * 2006: Featured on the History (U.S. TV channel), History Channel's ''Man, Moment, Machine''. * 2006: The ''Boston Legal'' episode "List of Boston Legal episodes#Season 3: 2006–2007, The Nutcrackers" portrayed the main character, Alan Shore, as the

, a play on his stoic demeanor in the show. * 2010: The ''Futurama'' episode "The Duh-Vinci Code" reveals Leonardo to be an alien from Planet Vinci, which is inhabited by brilliant intellectuals of human appearance. However, he is considered to be the least intelligent of the planet's inhabitants and is bullied by everyone else for it. He came to Earth as a means of escape, but eventually returned to Vinci after being disillusioned by how much more unintelligent the people of Earth were compared to him. * 2011: The ''Family Guy'' episode "The Big Bang Theory (Family Guy), The Big Bang Theory" follows Stewie Griffin, Stewie and Brian Griffin, Brian on a quest to stop Emission Impossible, Bertram from killing Leonardo, which would permanently erase Stewie from the universe. * 2011–2012: The BBC series ''Leonardo (2011 TV series), Leonardo'' centers on Leonardo he was a teenager, played by Jonathan Bailey. * 2012 and 2017: In the series ''Horrible Histories (2009 TV series), Horrible Histories'' and its Horrible Histories (2015 TV series), reboot Leonardo is played by Mathew Baynton/Tom Stourton * 2013: ''Da Vinci's Demons'' is an historical fantasy series about Leonardo da Vinci at the age of 25. Leonardo is involved in political intrigue amongst the Italian city-states, the Vatican, and the mystery cult known as the Mithraic mysteries, Sons of Mithras. He is played by Tom Riley (actor), Tom Riley. *2013: In the feature-length documentary ''Inside the Mind of Leonardo'', Leonardo is played by Peter Capaldi. * 2015: In the anime ''Lupin the 3rd Part IV: The Italian Adventure'', the MI6 creates a clone of Leonardo, who becomes the series main villain, by using his genius intellect to create a machine that will replicate his consciousness in the mind of every inhabitant of Italy, thus trapping them in what he calls "Il Sogno Italiano" (The Italian Dream). *2018: In the Philippine series ''Sana Dalawa ang Puso'', two look-alike women played by Jodi Sta. Maria are named Mona and Lisa. *2021: TV series ''Leonardo (2021 TV series), Leonardo''

Advertising

*Benetton Group, Benetton's 1988 "United Superstars of Benetton" print and billboard campaign, paired with Julius Caesar

Comics and graphic novels

* The DC Comics ''Elseworlds'' story "Black Masterpiece", in ''Batman Annual'' No. 18, shows Leonardo's apprentice becoming a Renaissance Batman, using the Master's devices in his war on Florentine crime. * DC Comics's Vertigo Comics, Vertigo division published a ten-issue miniseries "strongly laced with sex, violence, and magic" about Leonardo, entitled ''Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo da Vinci''. * In the mainstream DC Universe, according to ''Secret Origins'' No. 27, Leonardo is an ancestor of the famed Freemason Cagliostro, as well as Zatara and Zatanna who are both magicians (in both the Magic (illusion) and Magic (paranormal) senses) and superheroes. Also, in ''Final Night'' No. 2, it was revealed that Vandal Savage had blackmailed Leonardo into painting the ''Mona Lisa''. * The Dargaud cartoon character Léonard (comics), Léonard by Philippe Liegeois, Turk and Bob de Groot, De Groot. * The ''Daily Mirror'' comic strip character Garth (comic strip), Garth saved Leonardo from the Black Death in the 1972 strip ''Orb of the Trimandias'', written by Jim Edgar and illustrated by Frank Bellamy. * In 1979, the French weekly ''Journal de Mickey'' published a Mickey Mouse adventure based in Renaissance Florence. Goofy is Leonardo, and Mickey gets him to paint the portrait of Mona Lisa, who is represented by Clarabelle Cow. * Leonardo appeared as a character in the now defunct Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics mini series ''The Light and Darkness War''. * Leonardo da Vinci appears in the current Marvel ''S.H.I.E.L.D.'' series (which is now a series of mini series) by Jonathan Hickman. Leonardo is depicted as a leader of a sacred order called the Brotherhood of the Shield, and has been shown to time travel to the story's "present", set in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Computer and video games

*In ''Mario's Time Machine'', the MS-DOS and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES releases of the game feature Leonardo as a non-player character. His notes are stolen by Bowser (character), Bowser after the latter travels back in time, and Mario travels back in time himself to Florence to return the notes. In the area, Mario meets several of Leonardo's contemporaries, including Michelangelo and an apprentice of

, who talk about Leonardo's past, innovations, and status as a "Polymath, Renaissance man." Some of Leonardo's work is also seen, including his Science and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, concept of a helicopter (referred to in-game as a "drawing of air screw"), his ''

'' (referred to in-game as a "drawing of Ideal Man"), and the ''

'', which he can only complete once Mario returns his notes to him. *In ''The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time'' a temporal saboteur has tampered with several historical items in the past to pass on technological information to an alien race. One of them is the Codex Atlanticus. The player is to explore Leonardo's studio while he was working for

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

. *In ''Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends'' (2006), the Vinci (Rise of Legends), Vinci faction uses steampunk technology inspired by Leonardo. *In the Rayman (video game), first Rayman game, Mona Lisa has a loading screen for its fourth world, Picture City. *In ''Soulcalibur Legends'' there is a character that bears a resemblance to Leonardo, and has the same name. *In ''Scribblenauts (series), Scribblenauts'' and its sequels, Leonardo da Vinci is able to be summoned. *In ''Elite Beat Agents'', one mission has the agents go back in time to help Leonardo paint the ''Mona Lisa''. He is only ever referred to as "Leo" or "Leonard". *In ''Civilization (series), Civilization'', Leonardo's Workshop is one of the most useful "World Wonders"; Leonardo also appears as a "Great Person". *Leonardo is an important supporting character in the ''

'' series. In ''Assassin's Creed II'', a young Leonardo befriends the protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, in 1476 when introduced by Ezio's mother Maria, a patron of Leonardo's. He later helps Ezio by deciphering pages of an ancient Assassin Codex written by legendary Assassin Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and using his mechanical know-how to build various devices, inventions and weapons. An older Leonardo appears in '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', having been forced to make war machines for Cesare Borgia and Rodrigo Borgia and asking Ezio to help him by destroying them. In the Downloadable content, DLC ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood#The Da Vinci Disappearance, The Da Vinci Disappearance'' for ''Brotherhood'', Leonardo is kidnapped by Hermeticists, members of the Cult of Hermes, and Ezio must rescue him. The DLC also includes Leonardo's pupil and suspected lover,

. *In ''Super Monday Night Combat'', a clone of Leonardo da Vinci under the name of "Leo" is playable. *In ''LittleBigPlanet 2'', a tutorial and supporting character is also named Da Vinci with some few difference: he wears 3D glasses, his head is made of craft, and his first name is "Larry". *In the mobile game ''Fate/Grand Order'', Leonardo is portrayed as a woman with visual characteristics of

, and manifested as a Caster-class Servant. She Transgender, willingly changed her gender and form upon being summoned, and is a genius in magecraft, mathematics, engineering, natural history, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, inventing, and weapons development. *In Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, his fighting vehicle is the final boss of the Renaissance faction.

Online

* 2014: In the ''Epic Rap Battles of History'' episode "Artists vs. TMNT", da Vinci, portrayed by Link Neal of Rhett and Link, appears alongside portrayals of Donatello, Michelangelo and

, engaged in a battle rap with the eponymous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Exhibitions

* ''Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion'' is a traveling exhibition of 40 full-scale machines that were built after study of Leonardo da Vinci's designs by a group of scientists and craftsmen in Florence, Italy. The exhibition was produced by Evergreen Exhibitions and has been exhibited by many science museums, including Museo Tecnologico in Mexico City, Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas, South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama and many more.

Gallery

File:Leonardo da Vinci (ur Svenska Familj-Journalen).png, Engraving from ''The Swedish Family Journal'', 1864–1887, artist Evald Hansen. File:Leonardo da Vinci.jpeg, An engraved representation of Leonardo from Wallace Wood's ''The Hundred Greatest Men'' (1885), based on an 1817 engraving by Raffaello Sanzio Morghen. File:T-shirt man.jpg, Leonardo's c. 1490 drawing of the ''

'' is used in many contexts, including T-shirts. File:Wieliczka-daVinci.jpg, The ''Last Supper'' carved in salt in the Wieliczka Salt Mine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardo da Vinci Cultural depictions of Leonardo da Vinci, Works about Leonardo da Vinci, Cultural depictions of Leonardo da Vinci