A Treatise on Painting
A Treatise on Painting PREFACE TO THE PRESENT TRANSLATION.THE LIFE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI.DRAWING.PROPORTION.ANATOMY.MOTION AND EQUIPOISE OF FIGURES.LINEAR PERSPECTIVE.INVENTION, or COMPOSITION.EXPRESSION and CHARACTER.LIGHT and SHADOW.CONTRASTE AND EFFECT.REFLEXES.COLOURS and COLOURING.COLOURS.COLOURS IN REGARD TO LIGHT AND SHADOW.COLOURS IN REGARD TO BACK-GROUNDS.CONTRASTE, HARMONY, AND REFLEXES, IN REGARD TO COLOURS.PERSPECTIVE OF COLOURS.AERIAL PERSPECTIVE.MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS.LANDSCAPE.MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS.FOOTNOTES:Copyright
A Treatise on Painting
Leonardo Da Vinci
PREFACE TO THE PRESENT TRANSLATION.
The excellence of the following Treatise is so well known to
all in any tolerable degree conversant with the Art of Painting,
that it would be almost superfluous to say any thing respecting it,
were it not that it here appears under the form of a new
translation, of which some account may be expected.Of the original Work, which is in reality a selection from
the voluminous manuscript collections of the Author, both in folio
and quarto, of all such passages as related to Painting, no edition
appeared in print till 1651, though its Author died so long before
as the year 1519; and it is owing to the circumstance of a
manuscript copy of these extracts in the original Italian, having
fallen into the hands of Raphael du Fresne; that in the former of
these years it was published at Paris in a thin folio volume in
that language, accompanied with a set of cuts from the drawings of
Nicolo Poussin, and Alberti; the former having designed the human
figures, the latter the geometrical and other representations. This
precaution was probably necessary, the sketches in the Author’s own
collections being so very slight as not to be fit for publication
without further assistance. Poussin’s drawings were mere outlines,
and the shadows and back-grounds behind the figures were added by
Errard, after the drawings had been made, and, as Poussin himself
says, without his knowledge.In the same year, and size, and printed at the same place, a
translation of the original work into French was given to the world
by Monsieur de Chambray (well known, under his family name of
Freart, as the author of an excellent Parallel of ancient and
modern Architecture, in French, which Mr. Evelyn translated into
English). The style of this translation by Mons. de Chambray, being
thought, some years after, too antiquated, some one was employed to
revise and modernise it; and in 1716 a new edition of it, thus
polished, came out, of which it may be truly said, as is in general
the case on such occasions, that whatever the supposed advantage
obtained in purity and refinement of language might be, it was more
than counterbalanced by the want of the more valuable qualities of
accuracy, and fidelity to the original, from which, by these
variations, it became further removed.The first translation of this Treatise into English, appeared
in the year 1721. It does not declare by whom it was made; but
though it professes to have been done from the original Italian, it
is evident, upon a comparison, that more use was made of the
revised edition of the French translation. Indifferent, however, as
it is, it had become so scarce, and risen to a price so
extravagant, that, to supply the demand, it was found necessary, in
the year 1796, to reprint it as it stood, with all its errors on
its head, no opportunity then offering of procuring a fresh
translation.This last impression, however, being now also disposed of,
and a new one again called for, the present Translator was induced
to step forward, and undertake the office of fresh translating it,
on finding, by comparing the former versions both in French and
English with the original, many passages which he thought might at
once be more concisely and more faithfully rendered. His object,
therefore, has been to attain these ends, and as rules and precepts
like the present allow but little room for the decorations of
style, he has been more solicitous for fidelity, perspicuity, and
precision, than for smooth sentences, and well-turned
periods.Nor was this the only advantage which it was found the
present opportunity would afford; for the original work consisting
in fact of a number of entries made at different times, without any
regard to their subjects, or attention to method, might rather in
that state be considered as a chaos of intelligence, than a
well-digested treatise. It has now, therefore, for the first time,
been attempted to place each chapter under the proper head or
branch of the art to which it belongs; and by so doing, to bring
together those which (though related and nearly connected in
substance) stood, according to the original arrangement, at such a
distance from each other as to make it troublesome to find them
even by the assistance of an index; and difficult, when found, to
compare them together.The consequence of this plan, it must be confessed, has been,
that in a few instances the same precept has been found in
substance repeated; but this is so far from being an objection,
that it evidently proves the precepts were not the hasty opinions
of the moment, but settled and fixed principles in the mind of the
Author, and that he was consistent in the expression of his
sentiments. But if this mode of arrangement has in the present case
disclosed what might have escaped observation, it has also been
productive of more material advantages; for, besides facilitating
the finding of any particular passage (an object in itself of no
small importance), it clearly shews the work to be a much more
complete system than those best acquainted with it, had before any
idea of, and that many of the references in it apparently to other
writings of the same Author, relate in fact only to the present,
the chapters referred to having been found in it. These are now
pointed out in the notes, and where any obscurity has occurred in
the text, the reader will find some assistance at least attempted
by the insertion of a note to solve the difficulty.No pains or expense have been spared in preparing the present
work for the press. The cuts have been re-engraven with more
attention to correctness in the drawing, than those which
accompanied the two editions of the former English translation
possessed (even though they had been fresh engraven for the
impression of 1796); and the diagrams are now inserted in their
proper places in the text, instead of being, as before, collected
all together in two plates at the end. Besides this, a new Life of
the Author has been also added by a Friend of the Translator, the
materials for which have been furnished, not from vague reports, or
uncertain conjectures, but from memoranda of the Author himself,
not before used.Fortunately for this undertaking, the manuscript collections
of Leonardo da Vinci, which have lately passed from Italy into
France, have, since their removal thither, been carefully
inspected, and an abstract of their contents published in a quarto
pamphlet, printed at Paris in 1797, and intitled, “Essai sur les
Ouvrages physico-mathematiques de Leonard de Vinci;” by J. B.
Venturi, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Modena; a Member of the
Institute of Bologna, &c. From this pamphlet a great deal of
original intelligence respecting the Author has been obtained,
which, derived as it is from his own information, could not
possibly be founded on better evidence.To this Life we shall refer the reader for a further account
of the origin and history of the present Treatise, conceiving we
have already effected our purpose, by here giving him a sufficient
idea of what he is to expect from the ensuing pages.
THE LIFE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI.
Leonardo da Vinci, the Author of the following Treatise, was
the natural son of Pietro da Vinci, a notary of Vinci, in
Tuscany[i1],
a village situated in the valley of Arno, a little below Florence,
and was born in the year 1452[i2].Having discovered, when a child, a strong inclination and
talent for painting, of which he had given proofs by several little
drawings and sketches; his father one day accidentally took up some
of them, and was induced to shew them to his friend Andrea
Verocchio, a painter of some reputation in Florence, who was also a
chaser, an architect, a sculptor, and goldsmith, for his advice, as
to the propriety of bringing up his son to the profession of
painting, and the probability of his becoming eminent in the art.
The answer of Verocchio was such as to confirm him in that
resolution; and Leonardo, to fit him for that purpose, was
accordingly placed under the tuition of Verocchio[i3].As Verocchio combined in himself a perfect knowledge of the
arts of chasing and sculpture, and was a deep proficient in
architecture, Leonardo had in this situation the means and
opportunity of acquiring a variety of information, which though
perhaps not immediately connected with the art to which his
principal attention was to be directed, might, with the assistance
of such a mind as Leonardo’s, be rendered subsidiary to his grand
object, tend to promote his knowledge of the theory, and facilitate
his practice of the profession for which he was intended.
Accordingly we find that he had the good sense to avail himself of
these advantages, and that under Verocchio he made great progress,
and attracted his master’s friendship and confidence, by the
talents he discovered, the sweetness of his manners, and the
vivacity of his disposition[i4].
Of his proficiency in painting, the following instance is recorded;
and the skill he afterwards manifested in other branches of
science, on various occasions, evidently demonstrated how
solicitous he had been for knowledge of all kinds, and how careful
in his youth to lay a good foundation. Verocchio had undertaken for
the religious of Vallombrosa, without Florence, a picture of our
Saviour’s Baptism by St. John, and consigned to Leonardo the office
of putting in from the original drawing, the figure of an angel
holding up the drapery; but, unfortunately for Verocchio, Leonardo
succeeded so well, that, despairing of ever equalling the work of
his scholar, Verocchio in disgust abandoned his pencil for ever,
confining himself in future solely to the practice of
sculpture[i5].On this success Leonardo became sensible that he no longer
stood in need of an instructor; and therefore quitting Verocchio,
he now began to work and study for himself. Many of his
performances of this period are still, or were lately to be seen at
Florence; and besides these, the following have been also
mentioned: A cartoon of Adam and Eve in the Garden, which he did
for the King of Portugal[i6].
This is highly commended for the exquisite gracefulness of the two
principal figures, the beauty of the landscape, and the incredible
exactitude of the shrubs and fruit. At the instance of his father,
he made a painting for one of his old neighbours at Vinci[i7]; it consisted wholly of such animals as have naturally an
hatred to each other, joined artfully together in a variety of
attitudes. Some authors have said that this painting was a
shield[i8],
and have related the following particulars respecting
it.One of Pietro’s neighbours meeting him one day at Florence,
told him he had been making a shield, and would be glad of his
assistance to get it painted; Pietro undertook this office, and
applied to his son to make good the promise. When the shield was
brought to Leonardo, he found it so ill made, that he was obliged
to get a turner to smooth it; and when that was done, he began to
consider with what subject he should paint it. For this purpose he
got together, in his apartment, a collection of live animals, such
as lizards, crickets, serpents, silk-worms, locusts, bats, and
other creatures of that kind, from the multitude of which,
variously adapted to each other, he formed an horrible and terrific
animal, emitting fire and poison from his jaws, flames from his
eyes, and smoke from his nostrils; and with so great earnestness
did Leonardo apply to this, that though in his apartment the stench
of the animals that from time to time died there, was so strong as
to be scarcely tolerable, he, through his love to the art, entirely
disregarded it. The work being finished, Leonardo told his father
he might now see it; and the father one morning coming to his
apartment for that purpose, Leonardo, before he admitted him,
placed the shield so as to receive from the window its full and
proper light, and then opened the door. Not knowing what he was to
expect, and little imagining that what he saw was not the creatures
themselves, but a mere painted representation of them, the father,
on entering and beholding the shield, was at first staggered and
shocked; which the son perceiving, told him he might now send the
shield to his friend, as, from the effect which the sight of it had
then produced, he found he had attained the object at which he
aimed. Pietro, however, had too much sagacity not to see that this
was by much too great a curiosity for a mere countryman, who would
never be sensible of its value; he therefore privately bought for
his friend an ordinary shield, rudely painted with the device of an
heart with an arrow through it, and sold this for an hundred ducats
to some merchants at Florence, by whom it was again sold for three
hundred to the Duke of Milan[i9].He afterwards painted a picture of the Virgin Mary, and by
her side a vessel of water, in which were flowers: in this he so
contrived it, as that the light reflected from the flowers threw a
pale redness on the water. This picture was at one time in the
possession of Pope Clement the Seventh[i10].For his friend Antonio Segni he also made a design,
representing Neptune in his car, drawn by sea-horses, and attended
by tritons and sea-gods; the heavens overspread with clouds, which
were driven in all directions by the violence of the winds; the
waves appeared to be rolling, and the whole ocean seemed in an
uproar[i11]. This drawing was afterwards given by Fabio the son of
Antonio Segni, to Giovanni Gaddi, a great collector of drawings,
with this epigram:Pinxit Virgilius Neptunum, pinxit Homerus,Dum maris undisoni per vada flectit equos.Mente quidem vates illum conspexit uterque,Vincius est oculis, jureque vincit eos[i12].In English thus:Virgil and Homer, when they Neptune shew’d,As he through boist’rous seas his steeds
compell’d,In the mind’s eye alone his figure view’d;But Vincisawhim, and has
both excell’d[i13].To these must be added the following: A painting representing
two horsemen engaged in fight, and struggling to tear a flag from
each other: rage and fury are in this admirably expressed in the
countenances of the two combatants; their air appears wild, and the
drapery is thrown into an unusual though agreeable disorder. A
Medusa’s head, and a picture of the Adoration of the Magi[i14]. In this last there are some fine heads, but both this and
the Medusa’s head are said by Du Fresne to have been evidently
unfinished.The mind of Leonardo was however too active and capacious to
be contented solely with the practical part of his art; nor could
it submit to receive as principles, conclusions, though confirmed
by experience, without first tracing them to their source, and
investigating their causes, and the several circumstances on which
they depended. For this purpose he determined to engage in a deep
examination into the theory of his art; and the better to effect
his intention, he resolved to call in to his aid the assistance of
all such other branches of science as could in any degree promote
this grand object.Vasari has related[i15], that at a very early age he had, in the short time of a few
months only that he applied to it, obtained a deep knowledge of
arithmetic; and says, that in literature in general, he would have
made great attainments, if he had not been too versatile to apply
long to one subject. In music, he adds, he had made some progress;
that he then determined to learn to play on the lyre; and that
having an uncommonly fine voice, and an extraordinary promptitude
of thought and expression, he became a celebratedimprovisatore: but that his attention
to these did not induce him to neglect painting and modelling in
which last art he was so great a proficient, that in his youth he
modelled in clay some heads of women laughing, and also some boys’
heads, which appeared to have come from the hand of a master. In
architecture, he made many plans and designs for buildings, and,
while he was yet young, proposed conveying the river Arno into the
canal at Pisa[i16]. Of his skill in poetry the reader may judge from the
following sonnet preserved by Lomazzo[i17], the only one now existing of his composition; and for the
translation with which it is accompanied we are indebted to a
lady.SONNETTO MORALE.
Chi non può quel vuol, quel che può voglia,Che quel che non si può folle è volere.Adunque saggio è l’uomo da tenere,Che da quel che non può suo voler toglia.Però ch’ogni diletto nostro e dogliaSta in sì e nò, saper, voler, potere,Adunque quel sol può, che co ’l dovereNe trahe la ragion suor di sua soglia.Ne sempre è da voler quel che l’uom puote,Spesso par dolce quel che torna amaro,Piansi gia quel ch’io volsi, poi ch’io l’ebbi.Adunque tu, lettor di queste note,S’a te vuoi esser buono e a ’gli altri caro,Vogli sempre poter quel che tu debbi.
TRANSLATION.
A MORAL SONNET.
The man who cannot what he would attain,Within his pow’r his wishes should restrain:The wish of Folly o’er that bound aspires,The wise man by it limits his desires.Since all our joys so close on sorrows run,We know not what to choose or what to shun;Let all our wishes still our duty meet,Nor banish Reason from her awful seat.Nor is it always best for man to willEv’n what his pow’rs can reach; some latent illBeneath a fair appearance may deludeAnd make him rue what earnest he pursued.Then, Reader, as you scan this simple page,Let this one care your ev’ry thought engage,(With self-esteem and gen’ral love ’t is
fraught,)Wish only pow’r to do just what you ought.The course of study which Leonardo had thus undertaken,
would, in its most limited extent by any one who should attempt it
at this time, be found perhaps almost more than could be
successfully accomplished; but yet his curiosity and unbounded
thirst for information, induced him rather to enlarge than contract
his plan. Accordingly we find, that to the study of geometry,
sculpture, anatomy, he added those of architecture, mechanics,
optics, hydrostatics, astronomy, and Nature in general, in all her
operations[i18]; and the result of his observations and experiments, which
were intended not only for present use, but as the basis and
foundation of future discoveries, he determined, as he proceeded,
to commit to writing. At what time he began these his collections,
of which we shall have occasion to speak more particularly
hereafter, is no where mentioned; but it is with certainty known,
that by the month of April 1490, he had already completely filled
two folio volumes[i19].Notwithstanding Leonardo’s propensity and application to
study, he was not inattentive to the graces of external
accomplishments; he was very skilful in the management of an horse,
rode gracefully, and when he afterwards arrived to a state of
affluence, took particular pleasure in appearing in public well
mounted and handsomely accoutred. He possessed great dexterity in
the use of arms: for mien and grace he might contend with any
gentleman of his time: his person was remarkably handsome, his
behaviour so perfectly polite, and his conversation so charming,
that his company was coveted by all who knew him; but the
avocations to which this last circumstance subjected him, are one
reason why so many of his works remain unfinished[i20].With such advantages of mind and body as these, it was no
wonder that his reputation should spread itself, as we find it soon
did, over all Italy. The painting of the shield before mentioned,
had already, as has been noticed, come into the possession of the
Duke of Milan; and the subsequent accounts which he had from time
to time heard of Leonardo’s abilities and talents, induced Lodovic
Sforza, surnamed the Moor, then Duke of Milan, about, or a little
before the year 1489[i21], to invite him to his court, and to settle on him a pension
of five hundred crowns, a considerable sum at that time[i22].Various are the reasons assigned for this invitation:
Vasari[i23]attributes it to his skill in music, a science of which the
Duke is said to have been fond; others have ascribed it to a design
which the Duke entertained of erecting a brazen statue to the
memory of his father[i24]; but others conceive it originated from the circumstance,
that the Duke had not long before established at Milan an academy
for the study of painting, sculpture, and architecture, and was
desirous that Leonardo should take the conduct and direction of
it[i25]. The second was, however, we find, the true motive; and we
are further informed, that the invitation was accepted by Leonardo,
that he went to Milan, and was already there in 1489[i26].Among the collections of Leonardo still existing in
manuscript, is a copy of a memorial presented by him to the Duke
about 1490, of which Venturi has given an abridgment[i27]. In it he offers to make for the Duke military bridges,
which should be at the same time light and very solid, and to teach
him the method of placing and defending them with security. When
the object is to take any place, he can, he says, empty the ditch
of its water; he knows, he adds, the art of constructing a
subterraneous gallery under the ditches themselves, and of carrying
it to the very spot that shall be wanted. If the fort is not built
on a rock, he undertakes to throw it down, and mentions that he has
new contrivances for bombarding machines, ordnance, and mortars,
some adapted to throw hail shot, fire, and smoke, among the enemy;
and for all other machines proper for a siege, and for war, either
by sea or land, according to circumstances. In peace also, he says
he can be useful in what concerns the erection of buildings,
conducting of water-courses, sculpture in bronze or marble, and
painting; and remarks, that at the same time that he may be
pursuing any of the above objects, the equestrian statue to the
memory of the Duke’s father, and his illustrious family, may still
be going on. If any one doubts the possibility of what he proposes,
he offers to prove it by experiment, and ocular
demonstration.From this memorial it seems clear, that the casting of the
bronze statue was his principal object; painting is only mentioned
incidentally, and no notice is taken of the direction or management
of the academy for painting, sculpture, and architecture; it is
probable, therefore, that at this time there was no such intention,
though it is certainly true, that he was afterwards placed at the
head of it, and that he banished from it the barbarous style of
architecture which till then had prevailed in it, and introduced in
its stead a more pure and classical taste. Whatever was the fact
with respect to the academy, it is however well known that the
statue was cast in bronze, finished, and put up at Milan, but
afterwards demolished by the French when they took possession of
that place[i28]after the defeat of Lodovic Sforza.Some time after Leonardo’s arrival at Milan, a design had
been entertained of cutting a canal from Martesana to Milan, for
the purpose of opening a communication by water between these two
places, and, as it is said, of supplying the last with water. It
had been first thought of so early as 1457[i29]; but from the difficulties to be expected in its execution,
it seems to have been laid aside, or at least to have proceeded
slowly, till Leonardo’s arrival. His offers of service as engineer
in the above memorial, probably induced Lodovic Sforza, the then
Duke, to resume the intention with vigour, and accordingly we find
the plan was determined on, and the execution of it intrusted to
Leonardo. The object was noble, but the difficulties to be
encountered were sufficient to have discouraged any mind but
Leonardo’s; for the distance was no less than two hundred miles;
and before it could be completed,[Pg xxviii]hills were to be levelled, and vallies filled up, to render
them navigable with security[i30].In order to enable him to surmount the obstacles with which
he foresaw he should have to contend, he retired to the house of
his friend Signior Melzi, at Vaverola, not far distant from Milan,
and there applied himself sedulously for some years, as it is said,
but at intervals only we must suppose, and according as his
undertaking proceeded, to the study of philosophy, mathematics, and
every branch of science that could at all further his design; still
continuing the method he had before adopted, of entering down in
writing promiscuously, whatever he wished to implant in his memory:
and at this place, in this and his subsequent visits from time to
time, he is supposed to have made the greater part of the
collections he has left behind him[i31], of the contents of which we shall hereafter speak more at
large.Although engaged in the conduct of so vast an undertaking,
and in studies so extensive, the mind of Leonardo does not appear
to have been so wholly occupied or absorbed in them as to
incapacitate him from attending at the same time to other objects
also; and the Duke therefore being desirous of ornamenting Milan
with some specimens of his skill as a painter, employed him to
paint in the refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria
delle Gratie, in that city, a picture, the subject of which was to
be the Last Supper. Of this picture it is related, that Leonardo
was so impressed with the dignity of the subject, and so anxious to
answer the high ideas he had formed of it in his own mind, that his
progress was very slow, and that he spent much time in meditation
and thought, during which the work was apparently at a stand. The
Prior of the convent, thinking it therefore neglected, complained
to the Duke; but Leonardo assuring the Duke that not less than two
hours were every day bestowed on it, he was satisfied. Nevertheless
the Prior, after a short time, finding the work very little
advanced, once more applied to the Duke, who in some degree of
anger, as thinking Leonardo had deceived him, reprimanded him in
strong terms for his delay. What Leonardo had scorned to urge to
the Prior in his defence, he now thought fit to plead in his excuse
to the Duke, to convince him that a painter did not labour solely
with his hands, but that his mind might be deeply studying his
subject, when his hands were unemployed, and he in appearance
perfectly idle. In proof of this, he told the Duke that nothing
remained to the completion of the picture but the heads of our
Saviour and Judas; that as to the former, he had not yet been able
to find a fit model to express its divinity, and found his
invention inadequate of itself to represent it: that with respect
to that of Judas, he had been in vain for two years searching among
the most abandoned and profligate of the species for an head which
would convey an idea of his character; but that this difficulty was
now at length removed, since he had nothing to do but to introduce
the head of the Prior, whose ingratitude for the pains he was
taking, rendered him a fit archetype of the perfidy and ingratitude
he wished to express. Some persons have said[i32], that the head of Judas in the picture was actually copied
from that of the Prior; but Mariette denies it, and says this reply
was merely intended as a threat[i33].A difference of opinion has also prevailed concerning the
head of our Saviour in this picture; for some have conceived it
left intentionally unfinished[i34], while others think there is a gradation of resemblance,
which increasing in beauty in St. John and our Saviour, shews in
the dignified countenance of the latter a spark of his divine
majesty. In the countenance of the Redeemer, say these last, and in
that of Judas, is excellently expressed the extreme idea of God
made man, and of the most perfidious of mortals. This is also
pursued in the characters nearest to each of them[i35].Little judgment can now be formed of the original beauty of
this picture, which has been, and apparently with very good reason,
highly commended. Unfortunately, though it is said to have been in
oil, the wall on which it was painted not having been properly
prepared, the original colours have been so effectually defaced by
the damp, as to be no longer visible[i36]; and the fathers, for whose use it was painted, thinking it
entirely destroyed, and some years since wishing to heighten and
widen a door under it, leading out of their refectory, have given a
decided proof of their own want of taste, and how little they were
sensible of its value, by permitting the workmen to break through
the wall on which it was painted, and, by so doing, entirely to
destroy the lower part of the picture[i37]. The injury done by the damp to the colouring has been, it
is true, in some measure repaired by Michael Angelo Bellotti, a
painter of Milan, who viewing the picture in 1726, made an offer to
the Prior and convent to restore, by means of a secret which he
possessed, the original colours. His proposition being accepted,
and the experiment succeeding beyond their hopes, the convent made
him a present of five hundred pounds for his labour, and he in
return communicated to them the secret by which it had been
effected[i38].Deprived, as they certainly are by these events, of the means
of judging accurately of the merit of the original, it is still
some consolation to the lovers of painting, that several copies of
it made by Leonardo’s scholars, many of whom were very able
artists, and at a time when the picture had not been yet injured,
are still in existence.[Pg xxxiii]A list
of these copies is given by P. M. Guglielmo della Valle, in his
edition of Vasari’s Lives of the Painters, in Italian, vol. v. p.
34, and from him it is here inserted in the note[i39]. Francis the First was so charmed on viewing the original,
that not being able to remove it, he had a copy made, which is now,
or was some years since, at St. Germains, and several prints have
been published from it; but the best which has yet appeared (and
very fine it is) is one not long since engraven by Morghen, at
Rome, impressions of which have found their way into this country,
and been sold, it is said, for ten or twelve guineas
each.In the same refectory of the Dominicans at Milan is, or was,
also preserved a painting by Leonardo, representing Duke Lodovic,
and Beatrix his duchess, on their knees; done no doubt about this
time[i40]. And at or near this period, he also painted for the Duke
the Nativity, which was formerly, and may perhaps be still, in the
Emperor of Germany’s collection[i41].As Leonardo’s principal aim, whenever he was left at liberty
to pursue the bent of his own inclination, seems to have been
progressive improvement in the art of painting, he appears to have
sedulously embraced all opportunities of increasing his
information; and wisely perceiving, that without a thorough
acquaintance with anatomy, a painter could effect but little, he
was particularly desirous of extending his knowledge in that
branch. For that purpose he had frequent conferences on the subject
with Marc Antonio della Torre, professor of anatomy at Pavia[i42], and not only was present at many dissections performed by
him, but made abundance of anatomical drawings from Nature, many of
which were afterwards collected into a volume by his scholar
Francisco Melzi[i43].Such perseverance and assiduity as Leonardo’s, united as they
were with such uncommon powers as his, had already formed many
artists at that time of distinguished reputation, but who
afterwards became still more famous, and might probably have
rendered Milan the repository of some of the most valuable
specimens of painting, and raised it to a rank little, if at all,
inferior to that which Florence has since held with the admirers of
the polite arts, had it not happened that by the disastrous
termination of a contest between the Duke of Milan and the French,
all hopes of further improvement were entirely cut off; and Milan,
at one blow, lost all the advantages of which it was even then in
possession. For about this time the troubles in Italy began to
break in on Leonardo’s quiet, and he found his patron, the Duke,
engaged in a war with the French for the possession of his dukedom;
which not only endangered the academy, but ultimately deprived him
both of his dominions and his liberty; as the Duke was, in 1500,
completely defeated, taken prisoner, and carried into France,
where, in 1510, he died a prisoner in the castle of Loches[i44].[Pg xxxvii]By this event of the Duke’s defeat, and the consequent ruin
of the Sforza family, all further progress in the canal of
Martesana, of which much still remained to be done[i45], was put a stop to; the academy of architecture and painting
was entirely broken up; the professors were turned adrift, and the
arts banished from Milan, which at one time had promised to have
been their refuge and principal feat[i46]. Italy in general was, it is true, a gainer by the
dispersion of so many able and deeply instructed artists as issued
from this school, though Milan suffered; for nothing could so much
tend to the dissemination of knowledge as the mixing such men among
others who needed that information in which these excelled. Among
the number thus separated from each other, we find painters,
carvers, architects, founders, and engravers in crystal and
precious stones, and the names of the following have been given, as
the principal: Cesare da Sesto, Andrea Salaino, Gio. Antonio
Boltraffio, Bernardino Lovino, Bartolommeo della Porta, Lorenzo
Lotto[i47]. To these has been added Gio. Paolo Lomazzo; but Della
Valle, in a note in his edition of Vasari, vol. v.
p.[Pg xxxviii]34, says this last was a
disciple of Gio. Battista della Cerva, and not of Leonardo. Du
Fresne mentions besides the above, Francis Melzi, Mark Uggioni
Gobbo, an extraordinary painter and carver; Annibal Fontana, a
worker in marble and precious stones; and Bernazzano, an excellent
painter of landscapes; but omits Della Porta, and Lorenzo
Lotto.In 1499, the year before Duke Lodovic’s defeat, Leonardo
being at Milan, was employed by the principal inhabitants to
contrive an automaton for the entertainment of Lewis XII. King of
France, who was expected shortly to make a public entry into that
city. This Leonardo did, and it consisted of a machine representing
a lion, whose inside was so well constructed of clockwork, that it
marched out to meet the King, made a stand when it came before him,
reared up on its hinder legs, and opening its breast, presented an
escutcheon with fleurs de lis quartered on it[i48]. Lomazzo has said that this machine was made for the entry
of Francis the First; but he is mistaken, that prince having never
been at Milan till the year 1515[i49], at which time Leonardo was at Rome.Compelled by the disorders of Lombardy, the misfortunes of
his patron, and the ruin of the Sforza family, to quit Milan,
Leonardo betook himself to Florence, and his inducements to this
resolution seem to have been the residence there of the Medici
family, the great patrons of arts, and the good taste of its
principal inhabitants[i50], rather than its vicinity to the place of his birth; for
which, under the circumstances that attended that event, it is not
probable he could entertain much, if any predilection. The first
work which he here undertook was a design for an altar-piece for
the chapel of the college of the Annunciati. Its subject was, our
Saviour, with his mother, St. Ann, and St. John; but though this
drawing is said to have rendered Leonardo very popular among his
countrymen, to so great a degree, that numbers of people went to
see it, it does not appear that any picture was painted from it,
nor that the undertaking ever proceeded farther than a sketch of a
design, or rather, perhaps, a finished drawing. When Leonardo some
years afterwards went into France[i51], Francis the First was desirous of having a picture from
this drawing, and at his desire he then put it into colours; but
whether even this last was a regular picture, or, which is more
probable, only a coloured drawing, we are not
informed.The picture, however, on which he bestowed the most time and
labour, and which therefore seems intended by him as the completest
specimen of his skill, at least in the branch of portrait-painting,
was that which he did of Mona Lisa, better known by the appellation
of la Gioconda, a Florentine lady, the wife of Francisco del
Giocondo. It was painted for her husband, afterwards purchased by
Francis the First, and was till lately to be seen in the King of
France’s cabinet. Leonardo bestowed four entire years upon it, and
after all is said to have left it unfinished[i52].