Leonardo da Vinci Life & Career Timeline

15 April 1452Anchiano, Republic of Florence

Born near Vinci

Leonardo was born near the Tuscan town of Vinci. As a young man he moved into the artistic world of Florence, one of the central cities of the Renaissance.

Why it matters: The Florentine environment united craft, art, engineering and humanist inquiry.

c. 1467Florence

Enters Verrocchio’s workshop

Leonardo trained in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where painting, sculpture, metalwork and mechanical arts were practised side by side.

Why it matters: The workshop encouraged the union of art and technical experimentation visible throughout his life.

1472Florence

Joins the painters’ guild

Leonardo was recorded as a master in the Guild of Saint Luke while remaining connected to Verrocchio’s workshop.

1473Arno Valley, Tuscany

Earliest dated drawing

A pen-and-ink landscape dated 1473 is the earliest surviving work securely dated by Leonardo.

1481Florence

Adoration of the Magi

Leonardo received a major commission for the Adoration of the Magi, left unfinished when he departed for Milan.

1482Milan

Moves to Milan

Leonardo entered the service of Ludovico Sforza. In Milan he worked as painter, designer, engineer and organiser of court spectacles.

Why it matters: This long Milanese period produced major art and extensive studies in science and engineering.

c. 1489Milan

Anatomical studies intensify

Leonardo’s notebooks increasingly examined the human skull, proportion, muscles and internal structures.

c. 1490Milan

Vitruvian Man

Leonardo visualised ideal human proportions described by the Roman architect Vitruvius.

circa 1490Milan, Italy

Paints the Virgin and Child studies

Leonardo’s studies of mothers, children and intertwined figures developed ideas that culminated in major later compositions.

c. 1495–1498Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

The Last Supper

Leonardo painted The Last Supper for the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, organising the apostles’ reactions around the calm central figure of Christ.

Why it matters: Its dramatic composition became one of the most studied images in Western art.

1499Milan

Leaves Milan

The fall of Ludovico Sforza forced Leonardo to leave Milan and begin years of travel and changing patrons.

1502Central Italy

Engineer for Cesare Borgia

Leonardo travelled as a military engineer and mapmaker, surveying fortifications and terrain.

1503Florence

Begins the Mona Lisa

Leonardo began the portrait now known as the Mona Lisa and continued refining it over many years.

1505Florence

Studies the flight of birds

The Codex on the Flight of Birds joined close observation with ideas for human flight.

1506Milan

Returns to Milan

Leonardo returned to Milan under French patronage and resumed artistic, anatomical and engineering work.

1513Rome

Moves to Rome

Leonardo worked in Rome under the patronage of Giuliano de’ Medici while Raphael and Michelangelo were also active in the city.

1516Amboise, France

Accepts Francis I’s invitation

Leonardo moved to France and lived at Clos Lucé near the royal residence at Amboise.

2 May 1519Amboise, France

Final years in France

Leonardo spent his final years near the court of Francis I at Clos Lucé. He died there in 1519, leaving paintings and notebooks that continued to inspire artists and researchers.

Why it matters: His surviving work became an enduring model of curiosity across disciplines.