Leonardo da vinci early life

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, architect, writer, anatomist, geologist, astronomer, botanist, inventor, engineer and scientist – the epitome of a Renaissance man.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time, his most famous works included ‘the Mona Lisa’, ‘the Last Supper’ and ‘the Vitruvian Man’.

Although he has since been celebrated for his technological ingenuity, Leonardo’s scientific genius largely went undiscovered and unappreciated during his time. As Sigmund Freud wrote:

He was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep.

Here are 10 surprising facts you (probably) didn’t know about him.

1. His name was not really “Leonardo da Vinci”

Leonardo’s full name at birth was Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci, which means “Leonardo, (son) of ser Piero from Vinci.”

To his contemporaries he was known just as Leonardo or “Il Information about leonardo da vinci!