Notebooks
Page 35
In The Prince (Il Principe) Machiavelli gave his ideal statesman the name of Valentino after Cesare Borgia, the duke of Valentino. In the following note Leonardo also refers to him by that name.
Where is Valentino?
Boots, boxes in the customhouse, the monk at Carmine, squares.
Piero Martelli.
Salvi Borghesini.
return the bags.
a support for the spectacles.
the nude of Sangallo.
the cloak. . . .108
In February 1503 Leonardo may have ended his service to Cesare Borgia and returned to Florence.
Memorandum. That on the eighth day of April 1503 I, Leonardo da Vinci, lent to Vante, the miniature painter, four gold ducats. Salaì carried them to him and gave them into his own hand, and he said he would repay them within the space of forty days.
Memorandum. How on the same day I paid to Salaì three gold ducats which he said he wanted for a pair of rose-coloured hose with their trimming. And there remain nine ducats due to him—excepting that he owes me twenty ducats; seventeen I lent him at Milan and three at Venice.109
This old man, a few hours before his death told me that he had lived a hundred years, and that he did not feel any bodily ailment other than weakness, and thus while sitting on a bed in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova at Florence without moving or sign of anything amiss, he passed from this life. And I examined the anatomy to ascertain the cause of so sweet a death, and found that it was caused by weakness through failure of blood and of the artery that feeds the heart and the lower members which I found to be very parched and shrunk and withered; and the result of this examination I wrote down very carefully. . . . The other autopsy was on a child of two years old, and here I found everything the contrary to what was the case in the old man . . . . 110
[With a drawing.]
This is the reverse of the tongue, and its surface is rough in many animals and especially in the leonine species, such as lions, panthers, leopards, lynxes, cats and the like which have the surface of their tongues very rough as though covered with minute somewhat flexible nails; and when they lick their skin these nails penetrate to the root of the hairs, and act like combs in removing the small animals which feed upon them.
And I once saw how a lamb was licked by a lion in our city of Florence, where there are always twenty-five to thirty of them, and they bear young. The lion with a few strokes of his tongue stripped off the whole fleece of the lamb, and after having made it bare, ate it.111
June and July 1503. During the siege of Pisa, Leonardo stays in Pisa’s Camposanto and makes topographical sketches and designs for military machines and fortifications for the Signoria of Florence.
On 24 July he visited the camp of the Florentine army besieging Pisa and approved of a plan to straighten the river so as to deprive Pisa of its water and make Florence directly accessible from the sea. The plan had the support of his friend Machiavelli, and if feasible would end the war between Florence and Pisa which had been dragging on for years. The report from the camp says: ‘Yesterday came here accompanied by one of the Signoria, Alessandro degli Albizzi with Leonardo da Vinci and others and after seeing the plan and after many discussions and doubts it was decided that the undertaking would be very much to the purpose. . . .’ The expense of this visit was borne by the State and comprised the use of carriages and six horses.
Leonardo drew maps of the lower course of the Arno and work was begun in August 1504. He had previously acquired a thorough knowledge of the upper river course at Arezzo (see p. 321) and was therefore able to visualize its history. He combined his engineering with geological investigations.
Underground, and under the foundation of buildings, timbers are found of wrought beams already black. Such were found in my time in those diggings at Castel Fiorentino. And these had been in that place before the sand carried by the Arno into the sea had been raised to such a height; and before the plains of Casentino had been so much lowered by the action of the Arno in constantly carrying down earth from there.26
They do not know why the Arno never keeps its channel. It is because the rivers which flow into it deposit soil where they enter and wear it away from the other side bending the river there. . . .112
The eddy made by the Mensola when the Arno is low and the Mensola full.113
The work, started in August 1504, was abandoned in October. But Leonardo’s mind continued to dwell on the problem. A year later on meeting the Florentine engraver and medallist Niccolò di Forzore Spinelli, he noted down his account of methods of canalization adopted in Flanders.
That a river which is to be turned from one place to another must be coaxed and not treated roughly or with violence; and to do this a sort of dam should be built into the river, and then lower down another one projecting further and in like manner a third, fourth, and fifth so that the river may discharge itself into the channel allotted to it, or by this means it may be diverted from the place it has damaged as was done in Flanders according to what I was told by Niccolò di Forzore.*
How to protect and repair a bank struck by the water as below the island of Cocomeri. . . .114
On 18 October 1503 Leonardo’s name appears reinscribed in the account book of the painter’s confraternity (Compagnia di San Luca) in Florence.
On 24 October he receives the keys of the Sala del Papa and adjacent rooms in the cloister of Santa Maria Novella, which he uses as his studio to prepare the cartoon for the Battle of Anghiari. This is probably the time when he began Neptune, Leda and the Swan, and Salvator Mundi (all now lost). He also begins the Mona Lisa.
From February 1504 payments began to be made to Leonardo to paint a large fresco on one of the walls of the new Sala di Gran Consiglio in the Palazzo Vecchio. The painting was to commemorate a former victory over Pisa, won by the generals of the republic in 1440 over Niccolò Piccinino. Leonardo chose an episode in a battle which took place near a bridge at Anghiari in the upper valley of the Tiber, a terrific struggle for the colours between the opposing sides. The description of the battle which was drawn up for his use has survived among his manuscripts.
Memorandum of events in the Battle of Anghiari
Begin with the address of Niccolò Piccinino to the soldiers and exiled Florentines, among whom was Messer Rinaldo degli Albizzi. Then let it be shown how the first mounted his horse in armour, and the whole army following him: 40 squadrons of horse and 2000 foot soldiers went with him.
And the Patriarch [of Aquileja] at an early hour in the morning ascended a hill to reconnoitre the country, that is the hills, fields, and a valley watered by a river; and he beheld Niccolò Piccinino approaching from Borgo San Sepolcro with his men and a great cloud of dust, and having discovered him he returned to the camp of his own people and spoke with them.
And having spoken he clasped his hands and prayed to God; and presently he saw a cloud, and from the cloud St Peter* emerged and spoke to the Patriarch. . . .
500 cavalry were sent by the Patriarch to hinder or check the attack of the enemy. In the foremost troop was Francesco, the son of Niccolò Piccinino, and he arrived first to attack the bridge which was held by the Patriarch and the Florentines. Beyond the bridge on the left he sent infantry to engage our men who beat them off. Their leader was Micheletto whose lot it was to be that day at the head of the army. Here, at this bridge, there was a severe struggle; our men conquered and the enemy is repulsed. Then Guido and Astorre his brother, the Lord of Faenza, with many men reformed and renewed the fight, and rushed upon the Florentines with such force that they recovered the bridge and pushed forward as far as the tents. Against these Simonetto advanced with 600 horses to fall upon the enemy and he drove them back from the place and recaptured the bridge; and behind him more men with 2,000 horse; and so for a long time the battle swayed. And then the Patriarch to throw disorder into the enemy sent forward Niccolò da Pisa and Napoleone Orsino, a beardless youth, followed by a great multitude of men. And then was done another great fea
t of arms. At the same time Niccolò Piccinino pushed forward the remnant of his men, who once more made ours give way; and had it not been for the Patriarch setting himself in their midst and sustaining his captains by words and deeds our soldiers would have taken to flight. And the Patriarch had some artillery placed on the hill and with these he dispersed the enemy infantry; and the disorder was so complete that Niccolò began to call back his son and all his followers, and they took to flight towards Borgo; and then began a great slaughter of men. None escaped except those who were the first to flee, or those who hid themselves. The fighting continued until sunset when the Patriarch gave his mind to recalling his men and burying the dead; and afterwards he set up a trophy.115
On 25 January 1504 Leonardo took part in a consultation on the placing of the colossal statue of David by Michelangelo, and voted in favour of the Loggia dei Lanzi against the majority. The names of some of the artists who took part occur in his notes of that time.
Piero di Cosimo, Lorenzo [di Credi], Filippo [Filippino Lippi], [Andrea] Sansovino, Michelangelo [da Viviano, goldsmith], Cronaca [architect].116
On 24 May 1504 Isabella d’Este wrote from Mantua begging him to paint a figure of the young Christ. He was to be about 12 years old, the age when he disputed with the Elders in the temple. She would prefer this to her own portrait, and she would pay whatever he wished. Her one concern would be to give him pleasure. Leonardo in reply promised to devote his spare time to this work.
On the 9th day of July 1504 on Wednesday [actually a Tuesday] at seven o’clock at the Palace of the Podestà [now the Palazzo del Bargello] died Ser Piero da Vinci, notary, my father. He was eighty years old, and left ten sons and two daughters.117
The settlement of the estate of Leonardo’s father resulted in acrimonious disputes between Leonardo and his seven legitimate half-brothers. In August Leonardo’s uncle Francesco bequeaths property to him.
The following fragment of a letter, written some time previously, testifies to Leonardo’s filial devotion.
Dearest father, I received your letter on the last day of last month and it gave me pleasure and pain at the same time: Pleasure in so far as by it I have learned that you are well, for which I thank God. But I was pained to hear of your troubles. . . .118
On the morning of St Peter’s day June 29, 1504 I took 10 ducats, and gave one to my servant Tommaso to spend.
On Monday morning 1 florin to Salaì to spend for the house.
On Tuesday I took 1 soldo for myself.
Wednesday evening 1 florin to Tommaso before supper.
Saturday morning 1 soldo to Tommaso.
Monday morning 1 florin less 10 soldi.
Thursday to Salaì 1 florin less 10 soldi.
For a jerkin 1 florin.
For a jerkin and a cap 2 florins.
To the hosier 1 florin.
To Salaì 1 florin.
Friday morning July 19 1 florin less 6 soldi.
I have 7 florins left and 22 in the box.
Tuesday the 23rd of July 1 fl. to Tommaso.
Sunday the 4th of August 1 florin.
Friday the 9th of August 1504 I took ten ducats out of the box.119
Saturday morning August 3rd 1504 Jacopo, the German, came to live with me and agreed that I should charge him a carlino a day.120
The young Michelangelo procured a commission in August of 1504 to paint a companion piece, the Battle of Cascina, to Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari in the Sala del Gran Consiglio.
On 31 October 1504 Isabella d’Este wrote to remind him of his promise to paint a young Christ for her. ‘When you are vexed with that Florentine history be so good as to do my figure by way of relaxation.’
On 14 March 1505 Leonardo went to Fiesole, where he owned a vineyard. On his way he stopped to watch the flight of a bird of prey. He was studying the principles of flight and planning to build a machine that was to start from the mountain top above Fiesole. The mountain, ‘Ceceri’, was named after the soaring birds, the ceceri swans, that lived in the area. Leonardo predicted that the success of his flying experiment would fill the ‘universe with awe’ and bring ‘eternal glory’ to the man who created the flying machine. There is, however, no definite evidence that the experiment was actually attempted.
The little notebook on the flight of birds in the Bibliotica Reale in Turin dates from this time (see p. 83).
When the bird has great breadth of wings and a small tail and wants to raise itself, it will raise its wings vigorously and in turning, it will receive the wind under its wings. This wind surrounding it will drive it with swiftness as is the case with the ‘cortone’, bird of prey, which I saw as I was going to Fiesole, above the place of Barbiga, in 1505, on fourteenth day of March.
From the mountain which is named after the great bird, the famous bird which will fill the world with its great fame will start on its flight.121
The first flight of the great bird from the summit of the Monte Ceceri will fill the universe with wonder; all writing will be full of its fame, bringing eternal glory to the place of its origin.122
The following dated note occurs in the same booklet.
On Tuesday evening the 14th day of April Lorenzo came to stay with me. He said that he was seventeen years of age; and on the 15th day of April I received 25 florins from the chancellor of Santa Maria Nuova.121
Vespuccio will give me a book on geometry.123
Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to America, sprang from a Florentine family. The accounts of his journeys written from Portugal in 1503 and 1504 to friends in Florence were probably known to Leonardo. The extensive voyages of Spaniards and Portuguese had awakened interest in geographical problems.
Leonardo was sharing his passion for cosmographical studies with Giovanni Benci, kinsman of Ginevra Benci, whose portrait he had painted.
Map of the world from Giovanni Benci. Giovanni Benci has my book and jaspers.
Pandolfino’s book, Lactantius of the Daldi; Aristotle on celestial phenomena; Libraries at St Mark’s and at Santo Spirito; Have book bound.
Learn the multiplication of roots from Maestro Luca [Pacioli]; Rosso’s mirror—watch him make it;
To make the bird; amount of material for the wings;
An apprentice for making the models;
Glovecase for Lorenzo de’ Medici [Lorenzo Piero di Francesco].
Have the vest dyed; repair the cloak; brass for spectacles; red Cordova leather; clothes from the custom house officer.124
On 30 April 1505 Leonardo received payment from the Signoria for work done in the Sala del Gran Consiglio to cover scaffolding materials, construction workers, large amounts of cartoon paper, and assistants to paint the mural. The painting assistants were Raffaello d’Antonio di Biagio (called a dipintore), Ferrando Spagnolo (also called a dipintore), and Thomaso di Giovanni, who ‘grinds colours’ for Ferrando. The same account also mentions reimbursement to Leonardo of customs duty on a parcel of clothes he had left behind in Rome.
Book entitled ‘Of Transformation’ that is of one body into another without diminution or increase of substance, begun by me, Leonardo da Vinci on the 12th day of July 1505.125
The first portion of this manuscript deals with geometric solids.
On 6 June Leonardo records the following:
On the 6th day of June, 1505, Friday, at the stroke of the 13th hour I began to paint in the palace. At that moment when [I] applied the brush the weather turned bad, and the bell tolled calling the men to assemble. The cartoon ripped, the water spilled and the vessel containing it broke. And suddenly the weather grew worse, and it rained so much that the waters were great. And the sky was dark as night.
On 12 July Leonardo records that he has begun the first part of a new notebook, now known as the Codex Forster I.
IV. SECOND MILANESE PERIOD (1506-1513)
During the first months of 1506 disputes continue regarding the as yet unfinished Virgin of the Rocks. By 27 April an agreement is made whereby Ambrogio de Predis and Leona
rdo agree to complete the work within two years for a fee of 200 lire imperiali.
In the spring of 1506 Charles d’Amboise, the French governor of Milan, planning to maintain the patronage of the Sforzas, invited Leonardo to join him. Leonardo left Florence with the Battle of Anghiari still unfinished, having made an agreement with the Signoria on 30 May 1506, that he would return within three months to complete it, or face a stiff penalty.
On 18 and 19 August 1506 Charles d’Amboise and the French chancellor at Milan, Geffroy Carle, wrote to Florence asking for an extension of Leonardo’s stay ‘for at least the whole month of September’. On 28 August permission was granted. Pier Soderini, the gonfalioniere, wrote from Florence on 9 October 1506 that Leonardo had accepted a good sum of money, and had hardly more than begun the important work expected of him. Nevertheless he had to relinquish his claims, and Leonardo remained at Milan.
Whilst in Milan Charles d’Amboise commissions Leonardo to design a suburban villa and garden. He also undertakes studies of the Adda river and of the area around Charles’s villa near San Babila.