LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Antonio de BEATIS Milan or Vaprio d’Adda, about 1491/93–Canonica, 1567 Account of the Visit of Cardinal Luigi of Aragon to Leonardo da Vinci at the Château de Cloux on 10 October 1517 On 10 October 1517, Cardinal Luigi of Aragon, the grand- son of King Ferdinand of Naples, visited Leonardo at the Château de Cloux (known today as the Château du Clos Lucé).The artist showed the cardinal his manus- cripts, anatomical studies and three paintings: the portrait of a Florentine lady (Lisa del Giocondo), Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne. Antonio de Beatis, who kept the Cardinal’s travel journal, noted that Leonardo was paralysed in his right hand and that he was accompanied by his pupil Francesco Melzi. Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuelle III, Naples, MS. X. F. 28 Attributed to Francesco MELZI Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci Red chalk About 1515–1518 Francesco Melzi joined Leonardo’s workshop in 1508 and became his most loyal pupil. He followed the master to France, was present at his death and inherited his drawings and manuscripts. In this beautiful red chalk portrait attributed to Melzi, Leonardo has the flowing hair and beard of an ancient Greek philosopher such as Pythagoras or Plato. Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, inv. f 263 inf. n. 1 bis 177 178