Notebooks (56 page)
Authors: Leonardo da Vinci,Irma Anne Richter,Thereza Wells
Tags: #History, #Fiction, #General, #European, #Art, #Renaissance, #Leonardo;, #Leonardo, #da Vinci;, #1452-1519, #Individual artists, #Art Monographs, #Drawing By Individual Artists, #Notebooks; sketchbooks; etc, #Individual Artist, #History - Renaissance, #Renaissance art, #Individual Painters - Renaissance, #Drawing & drawings, #Drawing, #Techniques - Drawing, #Individual Artists - General, #Individual artists; art monographs, #Art & Art Instruction, #Techniques
How to protect and repair a bank struck by the water as below the island of Cocomeri. . . .
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On 18 October 1503 Leonardo’s name appears reinscribed in the account book of the painter’s confraternity (Compagnia di San Luca) in Florence.
On 24 October he receives the keys of the Sala del Papa and adjacent rooms in the cloister of Santa Maria Novella, which he uses as his studio to prepare the cartoon for the
Battle of Anghiari
. This is probably the time when he began
Neptune, Leda and the Swan
, and
Salvator Mundi
(all now lost). He also begins the
Mona Lisa
.
Battle of Anghiari
. This is probably the time when he began
Neptune, Leda and the Swan
, and
Salvator Mundi
(all now lost). He also begins the
Mona Lisa
.
From February 1504 payments began to be made to Leonardo to paint a large fresco on one of the walls of the new Sala di Gran Consiglio in the Palazzo Vecchio. The painting was to commemorate a former victory over Pisa, won by the generals of the republic in 1440 over Niccolò Piccinino. Leonardo chose an episode in a battle which took place near a bridge at Anghiari in the upper valley of the Tiber, a terrific struggle for the colours between the opposing sides. The description of the battle which was drawn up for his use has survived among his manuscripts.
Memorandum of events in the Battle of Anghiari
Begin with the address of Niccolò Piccinino to the soldiers and exiled Florentines, among whom was Messer Rinaldo degli Albizzi. Then let it be shown how the first mounted his horse in armour, and the whole army following him: 40 squadrons of horse and 2000 foot soldiers went with him.
And the Patriarch [of Aquileja] at an early hour in the morning ascended a hill to reconnoitre the country, that is the hills, fields, and a valley watered by a river; and he beheld Niccolò Piccinino approaching from Borgo San Sepolcro with his men and a great cloud of dust, and having discovered him he returned to the camp of his own people and spoke with them.
And having spoken he clasped his hands and prayed to God; and presently he saw a cloud, and from the cloud St Peter* emerged and spoke to the Patriarch. . . .
500 cavalry were sent by the Patriarch to hinder or check the attack of the enemy. In the foremost troop was Francesco, the son of Niccolò Piccinino, and he arrived first to attack the bridge which was held by the Patriarch and the Florentines. Beyond the bridge on the left he sent infantry to engage our men who beat them off. Their leader was Micheletto whose lot it was to be that day at the head of the army. Here, at this bridge, there was a severe struggle; our men conquered and the enemy is repulsed. Then Guido and Astorre his brother, the Lord of Faenza, with many men reformed and renewed the fight, and rushed upon the Florentines with such force that they recovered the bridge and pushed forward as far as the tents. Against these Simonetto advanced with 600 horses to fall upon the enemy and he drove them back from the place and recaptured the bridge; and behind him more men with 2,000 horse; and so for a long time the battle swayed. And then the Patriarch to throw disorder into the enemy sent forward Niccolò da Pisa and Napoleone Orsino, a beardless youth, followed by a great multitude of men. And then was done another great feat of arms. At the same time Niccolò Piccinino pushed forward the remnant of his men, who once more made ours give way; and had it not been for the Patriarch setting himself in their midst and sustaining his captains by words and deeds our soldiers would have taken to flight. And the Patriarch had some artillery placed on the hill and with these he dispersed the enemy infantry; and the disorder was so complete that Niccolò began to call back his son and all his followers, and they took to flight towards Borgo; and then began a great slaughter of men. None escaped except those who were the first to flee, or those who hid themselves. The fighting continued until sunset when the Patriarch gave his mind to recalling his men and burying the dead; and afterwards he set up a trophy.
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On 25 January 1504 Leonardo took part in a consultation on the placing of the colossal statue of David by Michelangelo, and voted in favour of the Loggia dei Lanzi against the majority. The names of some of the artists who took part occur in his notes of that time.
Piero di Cosimo, Lorenzo [di Credi], Filippo [Filippino Lippi], [Andrea] Sansovino, Michelangelo [da Viviano, goldsmith], Cronaca [architect].
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On 24 May 1504 Isabella d’Este wrote from Mantua begging him to paint a figure of the young Christ. He was to be about 12 years old, the age when he disputed with the Elders in the temple. She would prefer this to her own portrait, and she would pay whatever he wished. Her one concern would be to give him pleasure. Leonardo in reply promised to devote his spare time to this work.
On the 9th day of July 1504 on Wednesday [actually a Tuesday] at seven o’clock at the Palace of the Podestà [now the Palazzo del Bargello] died Ser Piero da Vinci, notary, my father. He was eighty years old, and left ten sons and two daughters.
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The settlement of the estate of Leonardo’s father resulted in acrimonious disputes between Leonardo and his seven legitimate half-brothers. In August Leonardo’s uncle Francesco bequeaths property to him.
The following fragment of a letter, written some time previously, testifies to Leonardo’s filial devotion.
Dearest father, I received your letter on the last day of last month and it gave me pleasure and pain at the same time: Pleasure in so far as by it I have learned that you are well, for which I thank God. But I was pained to hear of your troubles. . . .
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On the morning of St Peter’s day June 29, 1504 I took 10 ducats, and gave one to my servant Tommaso to spend.
On Monday morning 1 florin to Salaì to spend for the house.
On Tuesday I took 1 soldo for myself.
Wednesday evening 1 florin to Tommaso before supper.
Saturday morning 1 soldo to Tommaso.
Monday morning 1 florin less 10 soldi.
Thursday to Salaì 1 florin less 10 soldi.
For a jerkin 1 florin.
For a jerkin and a cap 2 florins.
To the hosier 1 florin.
To Salaì 1 florin.
Friday morning July 19 1 florin less 6 soldi.
I have 7 florins left and 22 in the box.
Tuesday the 23rd of July 1 fl. to Tommaso.
Sunday the 4th of August 1 florin.
Friday the 9th of August 1504 I took ten ducats out of the box.
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Saturday morning August 3rd 1504 Jacopo, the German, came to live with me and agreed that I should charge him a carlino a day.
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The young Michelangelo procured a commission in August of 1504 to paint a companion piece, the
Battle of Cascina
, to Leonardo’s
Battle of Anghiari
in the Sala del Gran Consiglio.
Battle of Cascina
, to Leonardo’s
Battle of Anghiari
in the Sala del Gran Consiglio.
On 31 October 1504 Isabella d’Este wrote to remind him of his promise to paint a young Christ for her. ‘When you are vexed with that Florentine history be so good as to do my figure by way of relaxation.’
On 14 March 1505 Leonardo went to Fiesole, where he owned a vineyard. On his way he stopped to watch the flight of a bird of prey. He was studying the principles of flight and planning to build a machine that was to start from the mountain top above Fiesole. The mountain, ‘Ceceri’, was named after the soaring birds, the ceceri swans, that lived in the area. Leonardo predicted that the success of his flying experiment would fill the ‘universe with awe’ and bring ‘eternal glory’ to the man who created the flying machine. There is, however, no definite evidence that the experiment was actually attempted.
The little notebook on the flight of birds in the Bibliotica Reale in Turin dates from this time (see p. 83).
When the bird has great breadth of wings and a small tail and wants to raise itself, it will raise its wings vigorously and in turning, it will receive the wind under its wings. This wind surrounding it will drive it with swiftness as is the case with the ‘cortone’, bird of prey, which I saw as I was going to Fiesole, above the place of Barbiga, in 1505, on fourteenth day of March.
From the mountain which is named after the great bird, the famous bird which will fill the world with its great fame will start on its flight.
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The first flight of the great bird from the summit of the Monte Ceceri will fill the universe with wonder; all writing will be full of its fame, bringing eternal glory to the place of its origin.
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The following dated note occurs in the same booklet.
On Tuesday evening the 14th day of April Lorenzo came to stay with me. He said that he was seventeen years of age; and on the 15th day of April I received 25 florins from the chancellor of Santa Maria Nuova.
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Vespuccio will give me a book on geometry.
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Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to America, sprang from a Florentine family. The accounts of his journeys written from Portugal in 1503 and 1504 to friends in Florence were probably known to Leonardo. The extensive voyages of Spaniards and Portuguese had awakened interest in geographical problems.
Leonardo was sharing his passion for cosmographical studies with Giovanni Benci, kinsman of Ginevra Benci, whose portrait he had painted.
Map of the world from Giovanni Benci. Giovanni Benci has my book and jaspers.
Pandolfino’s book, Lactantius of the Daldi; Aristotle on celestial phenomena; Libraries at St Mark’s and at Santo Spirito; Have book bound.
Learn the multiplication of roots from Maestro Luca [Pacioli]; Rosso’s mirror—watch him make it;
To make the bird; amount of material for the wings;
An apprentice for making the models;
Glovecase for Lorenzo de’ Medici [Lorenzo Piero di Francesco].
Have the vest dyed; repair the cloak; brass for spectacles; red Cordova leather; clothes from the custom house officer.
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On 30 April 1505 Leonardo received payment from the Signoria for work done in the Sala del Gran Consiglio to cover scaffolding materials, construction workers, large amounts of cartoon paper, and assistants to paint the mural. The painting assistants were Raffaello d’Antonio di Biagio (called a
dipintore
), Ferrando Spagnolo (also called a
dipintore
), and Thomaso di Giovanni, who ‘grinds colours’ for Ferrando. The same account also mentions reimbursement to Leonardo of customs duty on a parcel of clothes he had left behind in Rome.
dipintore
), Ferrando Spagnolo (also called a
dipintore
), and Thomaso di Giovanni, who ‘grinds colours’ for Ferrando. The same account also mentions reimbursement to Leonardo of customs duty on a parcel of clothes he had left behind in Rome.
Book entitled ‘Of Transformation’ that is of one body into another without diminution or increase of substance, begun by me, Leonardo da Vinci on the 12th day of July 1505.
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The first portion of this manuscript deals with geometric solids.
On 6 June Leonardo records the following:
On the 6th day of June, 1505, Friday, at the stroke of the 13th hour I began to paint in the palace. At that moment when [I] applied the brush the weather turned bad, and the bell tolled calling the men to assemble. The cartoon ripped, the water spilled and the vessel containing it broke. And suddenly the weather grew worse, and it rained so much that the waters were great. And the sky was dark as night.
On 12 July Leonardo records that he has begun the first part of a new notebook, now known as the Codex Forster I.
IV. SECOND MILANESE PERIOD (1506-1513)During the first months of 1506 disputes continue regarding the as yet unfinished
Virgin of the Rocks
. By 27 April an agreement is made whereby Ambrogio de Predis and Leonardo agree to complete the work within two years for a fee of 200
lire imperiali.
Virgin of the Rocks
. By 27 April an agreement is made whereby Ambrogio de Predis and Leonardo agree to complete the work within two years for a fee of 200
lire imperiali.
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