LEO N A RD O DA V INCI BY HER BERT I?) “ ' ’ H O RN E : N UM B ER N I N E OF THEA RTIST s LI B RA RY E DI T ED BY L AURE N C E B I Ng " YO N A N D PUBL I SHED A T T HE S IG N; O F TH E UNI C O RN VII C E C IL C OURT ’ T S N O N: S T . M A R I N L A E L N D O T H E LI F E O F LE O N A R D O DA V I N C I BY G I O RG I O VA S A RI DO N E I N TO EN G LI S H FRO M T H E TEXT O F T H E S ECO N D ED I T I O N O F T H E LI V E S W I T H A C O M M E N T A R Y B Y H E R B E R T R H O R N E A N D P UB LI S H E D A T T H E S I G N O F TH E UN I CO RN V II C EC I L C O URT LO N DO N M C M I I I EDI NB URG H : PRINTED BY MORRIS ON AND G I B B LIMITED B E R N H A RD B E R E N S O N PREFA TORY NOTE THE life of Leonardo da Vinci has always been regarded as one of ’ Vasari s most fortunate essays : it certainly stands apart by. itself “ has amo ng the Lives of the Painters . Why Vasari written s o admirably of Leonardo ? asked M ariette already in the earlier a a part of the eighteenth century . V s ri is ordinarily at his best when he is writing of men with whom he was personally acquainted o a o a o for was o a but he c uld never h ve seen Le n rd , he nly child in 1 1 of o a t o a . Yet not o f ur when the m ster went Fr nce, 5 5 nly does V asari draw a portrait of him such as he has given us of no o a of a ther m ster the fifteenth century, but he rel tes the successive events of his life in their proper order ; whereas the lives of the . a a n a of e rlier m sters which precede it, excepti g th t Brunelleschi , ' a a oo o an a o a ar e o which V s ri t k fr m e rlier bi gr phy, little m re than s o many collections of anecdotes . o I a a t o on o In the present v lume , h ve ttempted c vey s mething ’ of a a of a a a a and t o a the liter ry ch rm V s ri s n rr tive, illustr te its “ ” an value as a piece of biography d criticism . His Lives have t o a a an a e o for in of a still be dequ tely tr sl t d . int English ; , spite ’ a . o v io as a recent ttempt, Mrs F rster s ers n , such it is, rem ins the ‘ and a o n o To o best, in sense the ly c mplete , rendering. c nvey the inimitable charm of his style is a task the difficulty of which can a a o who a a be ppreci ted o nly by th se h ve m de the attempt . In a a a of much, V s ri rec lls the English writers the seventeenth cen a . no a tury ; but, unlike them , he is never merely qu int With re l a a a o o a and S o liter ry tr ining, g rrul us, ften redund nt , metimes even n a a a a t o o a o of u gr mm tic l , he ttempts write the Cicer ni n pr se his a e o a n a a a a and a a g ; yet n twithst ndi g he lw ys rem ins e sy n tur l , 7 o a of o - a a of a o a the m st eng ging st ry tellers, m ster liter ry p rtr iture, and o now a o t o a a of , th ugh it is the f shi n deny it , m ster criticism . o I a e o t o a o In my n tes , which h ve be n f rced c st int the briefest fo on a o of a of o rm , cc unt the restricted sp ce these little v lumes , ’ a a t o a a a a a o n I h ve chiefly ttempted illustr te V s ri s n rr tive , c rrecti g o o o n ea has a on s o n th se err rs which m der res rch pl ced bey d discus i , o o a o o and supplying the m re imp rt nt missi ns in his story . In this way I have endeavoured t o give the teno r of all the chief docu ’ a t o o a o i a o a ments rel ting Le n rd s l fe , with the pl ces where the rigin ls may be found at length ; and also t o describe and discuss all his a and t o a a of a genuine p intings , indic te the n ture his ext nt a and o o a o o of dr awm m nuscripts, the m re imp rt nt c llecti ns his g s . For my aim has been not only t o give the general reader a s adequate an account of Leonardo and his ar t as my space might a of a o t o o o of a ia dmit , but ls furnish m re seri us students It l n f a a o o t o o o a o . p inting with brief intr ducti n . the study Le n rd o an ar e a o a o M re th this , there sever l Le n rdesque questi ns which a t o a o a has I have been ble elucid te m re fully , I believe , th n n hitherto bee done . a o f I have t o thank my friend Mr. Bernh rd Berens n or several suggestions both in regard t o the translatio n and the notes ; and especially for calling my attention t o the allusion in Anto n ’ “ ” Francesco D oni s letter t o the B attle of the Standard . ’ H . H . P . ' T HE L I FE OF LEONARDO DA ‘ V INC I BY GIO RGIO R ON N O N RO T HE VASA I , D E I T E G L ISH F M TEXT O F T HE SE CON D E DITION O F T HE I ” O N RY B Y R R L VES , W ITH A C MME TA , HE BE T P H R . O NE . T HE a f and at m o f a a a o ar e O gre test gi ts , ti es supern tur l rder, ften s i o of a a a s o n een n the c urse n ture , r ined by he venly influence h a a a a and a n o a um n cre tures be uty, gr ce , bility, bei g bey nd me sure U in a o a a a a an one nited single pers n, in m nner th t wh tever such t t o d o a t o s o a a all o urns , his every c i n is divine, th t, surp ssing ther m en a o as a o G od a nd , it is pl inly rec gnised thing best wed by , n o t a a was all o cquired by human r t . This seen by the w rld in ona o da n o b o a ' beau t o f o Le rd Vi ci , in wh m , besides ey nd y b dy n t o f n o was an a all ever be su ficie tly ext lled , there endless gr ce in h is a o and s o a and of s u Ch a was n s a cti ns ; gre t, kind , his ge iu , th t t o a f hlS o wh tever di ficult things he turned mind, he s lved them with cas e. a a o was o t o a In him , gre t physic l f rce j ined dexterity, spirit a nd o a o a a nd a a i o a nd a of c ur ge , ever r y l m gn n m us ; the f me his ma s o a a not o was in me incre sed , th t nly in his lifetime he held e a o n a a no a a stim ti , but fter his de th his re wn bec me still gre ter a o o a o and a was o a o m ng p sterity.