QUICK FACTS Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in Anchiano, Italy, near the Tuscan town of Vinci. He was born out of wedlock to a notary and a peasant woman. At age 14, Leonardo became apprentice to Verrocchio, one of the most esteemed Florentine artists of the day. He worked with Verrocchio and other famous painters, including Perugino and Botticelli, during the formative years of his life. Leonardo never received a traditional formal education. His natural gifts caught the attention of his mentors. Verrocchio was particularly impressed when they collaborated on The Baptism of Christ (1475) because of Leonardo’s innovative oil painting techniques. Leonardo moved to Milan around 1481 after convincing Duke Ludovico Sforza of his talents as an artist and engineer. Leonardo’s work began to expand to studies of architecture, military engineering and strategy, mechanical flight, theatrical production, and music. From 1495–98, Leonardo painted The Last Supper in Milan at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Soon after, Louis XII of France seized Milan, and Leonardo returned to Florence. In 1502, Cesare Borgia briefly employed Leonardo as his military architect and engineer. Leonardo began Mona Lisa in 1503, but the painting remained unfinished at his death years later. In 1504, Leonardo started on the Battle of Anghiari fresco in the Republic of Florence assembly hall. After many technical challenges, the mural was never completed and was painted over in 1565. However, Leonardo’s remaining sketches show the drama of his concepts. Leonardo accepted an invitation from François I to move to France in 1516. After suffering a stroke in 1517, Leonardo died on May 2, 1519, in Clos Lucé, France. He is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the castle of Amboise. ### .