Born on April the 15th 1452 in the Republic of Florence, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was a Renaissance painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, engineer, anatomist, mathematician and musician, amongst other talents.
Only a small number of Leonardo's paintings have come down to us, yet these few are complemented by his notebooks which contain sketches and drawings, scientific diagrams and his notes on the nature of painting. His illustration of the human proportions, Vitruvian Man is recognised around the world - as are his paintings The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo studied art between the ages of 14 and 24, before his career began. He received his first commissions in 1478, before he moved to Milan, where he spent the next 17 years, broken by a brief stay in Hungary.
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In 1499 war with France began and Leonardo fled Milan for Venice, where he was employed as a military architect and engineer, tasked with finding ways to defend the city from any naval attacks.
From 1513 -1516 Leonardo dwelt in the Vatican City where he was commissioned by the French King Francis I to make a technological marvel of its time - a mechanical lion which would walk and open its chest, revealing a cluster of lilies. In 1516 Leonardo entered Francis' service and went to live in the manor house Clos Lucén in the Loire Valley. Here he spent the remainder of his life and died on May the 2nd 1519. He was 67 years old.
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For a closer look at the pictures, please click on them to enlarge.
1.
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Painted in the early part of the 1470s, The Annunciation is thought to be the oldest piece of work by Leonardo still in existence. Prior to 1869 the work was attributed to Leonardo's tutor, but what was his name?
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[ ] |
Verrocchio |
[ ] |
Donatello |
[ ] |
Van Gogh |
[ ] |
Michelangelo |
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2.
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Also known as Madonna with vase or Madonna with child, this piece is more commonly named after the flower which the virgin holds in her left hand. What type of flower is it?
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[ ] |
A rose |
[ ] |
A chrysanthemum |
[ ] |
A rhododendron |
[ ] |
A carnation |
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3.
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This unfinished work of 1481, Adoration of the Magi, is an oil painting, but not on canvas. Which material is it painted on?
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[ ] |
Glass |
[ ] |
Plaster |
[ ] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Stone |
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4.
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This piece, painted on a walnut panel circa 1480, depicts which saint during his time spent as a hermit in the Syrian Desert?
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[ ] |
Saint John the Baptist |
[ ] |
Saint Jerome |
[ ] |
Saint John the Divine |
[ ] |
Saint Jude |
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5.
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Thought at various times to be a portrait of the composer Gaffurio, the monk da Pistoia, or even a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci himself, what is the name of this painting?
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[ ] |
Portrait of a Man |
[ ] |
Portrait of a Holy Man |
[ ] |
Portrait of a Musician |
[ ] |
Portrait of an Artist |
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6.
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One of the world's most famous paintings, The Last Supper is a mural painted in which establishment?
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[ ] |
The Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan |
[ ] |
Church of the Gesù, Palermo |
[ ] |
The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City |
[ ] |
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Pesaro |
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7.
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Credited to Leonardo and "another artist" this piece, painted circa 1501. is entitled 'The Madonna of the...' what?
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[ ] |
Cross |
[ ] |
Spinner |
[ ] |
Helicopter |
[ ] |
Yarnwinder |
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8.
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On display in the Louvre museum in Paris, this is perhaps the most famous painting in the whole world. What is its name?
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[ ] |
Madonna |
[ ] |
Mona Lisa |
[ ] |
Mary |
[ ] |
Magdalene |
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9.
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This unfinished painting is thought to date from 1508. Called in Italian La Scapigliata, what is its English name?
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[ ] |
Face in Mist |
[ ] |
Head of a Woman |
[ ] |
Face of a Girl |
[ ] |
Head in Cloud |
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10.
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Completed around 1516, this is thought to be Leonardo's final painting. Which biblical figure does it represent?
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[ ] |
King David |
[ ] |
Mary Magdalene |
[ ] |
John the Baptist |
[ ] |
Delilah |
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1.
|
Painted in the early part of the 1470s, The Annunciation is thought to be the oldest piece of work by Leonardo still in existence. Prior to 1869 the work was attributed to Leonardo's tutor, but what was his name?
|
|
[x] |
Verrocchio |
[ ] |
Donatello |
[ ] |
Van Gogh |
[ ] |
Michelangelo |
|
|
2.
|
Also known as Madonna with vase or Madonna with child, this piece is more commonly named after the flower which the virgin holds in her left hand. What type of flower is it?
|
|
[ ] |
A rose |
[ ] |
A chrysanthemum |
[ ] |
A rhododendron |
[x] |
A carnation |
|
|
3.
|
This unfinished work of 1481, Adoration of the Magi, is an oil painting, but not on canvas. Which material is it painted on?
|
|
[ ] |
Glass |
[ ] |
Plaster |
[x] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Stone |
|
|
4.
|
This piece, painted on a walnut panel circa 1480, depicts which saint during his time spent as a hermit in the Syrian Desert?
|
|
[ ] |
Saint John the Baptist |
[x] |
Saint Jerome |
[ ] |
Saint John the Divine |
[ ] |
Saint Jude |
|
|
5.
|
Thought at various times to be a portrait of the composer Gaffurio, the monk da Pistoia, or even a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci himself, what is the name of this painting?
|
|
[ ] |
Portrait of a Man |
[ ] |
Portrait of a Holy Man |
[x] |
Portrait of a Musician |
[ ] |
Portrait of an Artist |
|
|
6.
|
One of the world's most famous paintings, The Last Supper is a mural painted in which establishment?
|
|
[x] |
The Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan |
[ ] |
Church of the Gesù, Palermo |
[ ] |
The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City |
[ ] |
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Pesaro |
|
|
7.
|
Credited to Leonardo and "another artist" this piece, painted circa 1501. is entitled 'The Madonna of the...' what?
|
|
[ ] |
Cross |
[ ] |
Spinner |
[ ] |
Helicopter |
[x] |
Yarnwinder |
|
|
8.
|
On display in the Louvre museum in Paris, this is perhaps the most famous painting in the whole world. What is its name?
|
|
[ ] |
Madonna |
[x] |
Mona Lisa |
[ ] |
Mary |
[ ] |
Magdalene |
|
|
9.
|
This unfinished painting is thought to date from 1508. Called in Italian La Scapigliata, what is its English name?
|
|
[ ] |
Face in Mist |
[x] |
Head of a Woman |
[ ] |
Face of a Girl |
[ ] |
Head in Cloud |
|
|
10.
|
Completed around 1516, this is thought to be Leonardo's final painting. Which biblical figure does it represent?
|
|
[ ] |
King David |
[ ] |
Mary Magdalene |
[x] |
John the Baptist |
[ ] |
Delilah |
|
|