Leonard da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci and the Clos Lucé
After the death of his patron Giuliano de’ Medici in Rome, and faced with the young stars of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael and Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci accepted the invitation of the King of France. In the autumn of 1516, at the age of 64, he crossed the Alps with Francesco Melzi and Battista de Villanis, his faithful Milanese servant, and settled at the Clos Lucé. In his luggage he brought three of his masterpieces: the Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, and Saint John the Baptist, along with his notebooks, sketches, drawings and manuscripts. For Leonardo, the Clos Lucé and the court of Amboise were not an exile, but a vibrant centre of meetings and exchanges, where he became the central figure.
1503 - 1519 - Paris, Musée du Louvre
1503 - 1519 - Paris, Musée du Louvre
1508 - 1519 - Paris, Musée du Louvre
Leonardo received an annual pension of 1,000 gold écus, along with the prestigious title of “First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King“.
He entertained distinguished guests at the royal court, including the Cardinal of Aragon, the great nobles of the kingdom, ambassadors, and his fellow Italian artists, among them Dominique de Cortone, known as Le Boccador, the future architect of Chambord.
Leonardo continued to refine his paintings at the Clos Lucé, including the Saint John the Baptist and the Saint Anne, as evidenced by the three drawings of drapery for the Saint Anne, executed on French paper between 1517 and 1518, now held in the Royal Collection in Windsor.
Numerous drawings and written notes in his manuscripts (codices) show that Leonardo undertook several studies of the region’s hydrology. He imagined a grandiose royal palace for the king and drew up plans for an ideal city at Romorantin. He probably inspired the architecture of the Château de Chambord through two fundamental concepts: the central cross-shaped plan and the double-helix staircase.
He also organised and staged four memorable feasts for the French court, including the “Feast of Paradise” on the forecourt of the Clos Lucé.
Leonardo died in his bedchamber on 2 May 1519. Francis I was far away, at his Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the birth of his second son. But for Vasari, as for legend, there is no doubt: Leonardo “breathed his last in the arms of the king.”
Leonardo died in his bedchamber on 2 May 1519. Francis I was far away, at his Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the birth of his second son. But for Vasari, as for legend, there is no doubt: Leonardo “breathed his last in the arms of the king.”
Test your knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci!
Through 8 short, fun, and free lessons, step into Leonardo’s world and discover his many facets, as well as his most famous works and inventions.
Discover also
