born on April 15, 1452 Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer.  He epitomized the Italian Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement that began in Italy during the 14th century and lasted until the 16th century, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe.  Leonardo was described as the epitome of a Renaissance man.

Leonardo was born in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci.  He was born out-of-wedlock the son of the wealthy Messer Peiro Fruosino di Antonio da Vince and Caterina, a peasant.  His full name Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci.  The inclusion of the “ser” meant his father was a gentleman.  The first five years of his life Leonardo spent in the home of his mother, then from 1457 he lived in the household of his father, grandparents and uncle, Francesco, in the small town of Vinci.

At the age of fourteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to the artist Andrea di Cione, known as Verrocchio, whose workshop was supposedly one of the finest in Florence.  Bontticelli along with others is one of the famous painters who studied under Verrocchio.  For more information on Leonardo please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci.

For more in depth study of Leonardo da Vinci  check out these books on the many accomplishments of Leonardo in the Engineering Library: Leonardo Da Vinci’s water theory : on the origin and fate of water ;  The science of Leonardo : inside the mind of the great genius of the Renaissance. The machines of Leonardo da Vinci and Franz Reuleaux : kinematics of machines from the Renaissance to the 20th century .