LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 The Hanging of Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli Leadpoint reworked with pen and brown ink December 1479 On 26 April 1478, in a plot known as the Pazzi Conspiracy, Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici were attacked during Easter Mass in the cathedral of Florence, and Giuliano was stabbed to death by Bernardo Baroncelli. Despite the fierce repression that followed, Baroncelli managed to flee the city, finding refuge in Constantinople. He was eventually handed over by the sultan and on 29 December 1479, he was hanged from the windows of the ‘Palace of the Captain of the People’ (now the Museo Nazionale del Bargello Museum) – an event that left its mark on Leonardo’s memory. Musée Bonnat-Helleu, Bayonne, inv. 659 Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Study for a Saint Sebastian Black chalk About 1478–1482 The Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of Leonardo’s drawings, contains a list of works compiled in about 1482–1483 which includes ‘eight Saint Sebastians’ – probably preparatory drawings for a painting of the saint. Four sheets on this subject have been identified to date. Musée Bonnat-Helleu, Bayonne, inv. 1211 0 41 0 42