Sale of paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci was born in Tuscany, in the small town of Vinci. He was the product of an unnatural union between two notaries and a peasant woman. At the age of 15, he began his studies with the famous artist Andrea del Verrocchio, in Florence (the city of the Medici) where the artist met Sandro Botticelli and began to paint. At the side of Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci learned to master perspective. He had already produced some remarkable works, such as The Baptism of Christ.

In 1494, Leonardo da Vinci began work on The Last Supper, which is kept in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. A portrait of a woman, the Mona Lisa, occupied the painter from 1503. The painting was commissioned by the merchant Francisco del Giocondo. Leonardo da Vinci invented a new technique called sfumato (translated as "smoky") which enabled him to create vaporous effects. The lights and shadows are blended into glazes without lines, which gives a soft rendering, especially of faces.

In 1516, he was sent to France and went to Amboise in the company of François I. He took with him the Mona Lisa, which he never wanted to part with, but which he later offered to the monarch. Leonardo da Vinci, who lived at the Manoir du Cloux, was handicapped by problems with his left hand and could no longer paint. He died in 1519.

Leonardo da Vinci painted very few works, less than 20 in total. He also left a multitude of philosophical writings and incredibly valuable sketchbooks. Even today, there is much disagreement about the attribution of certain works to the master, such as the famous Salvator Mundi.