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Leonardo Final Years
By peace | September 28, 2010
Leonardo on Death Bed
It is lovely to imagine Leonardo in his last years, living in comfort, surrounded by friends, displaying his incredible accomplishments to worshipful admirers. And it would complete the picture to believe the story of his death as told by Vasari in The Lives of The Painters. He wrote that on 2 May 1519, having made his peace with God, the 67 years old Leonardo da Vinci died in the arms of the King of France.
And so it was believed until 1850, when a French scholar pointed out a decree of the king that was dated 3 May — one day after Leonardo’s death. It was signed at a place far from Amboise. Because of this, the scholar concluded that Francis would have been traveling on the day Leonardo died. Obviously the king could not have been at his bedside. Most historians have accepted this theory. But later another scholar looked at the decree more closely and found something interesting! It was signed not by the king himself, but by the chancellor in this absence.
So let us leave the king of France where he belongs, at the bedside of his friend. This is how Vasari tells it: Thereupon he was seized by…. the messenger of death; …the King having risen and having taken his head, in order to assist him and show him favour…. that he might alleviate his pain, Leonardo’s spirit, which was divine, knowing that it could not have any greater honour, expired in the arms of the King.
Leonardo was buried in the chapel of Saint Florentin at Amboise. Over the next 300 years the buildings gradually fell into ruin. Then, in 1802, Napoleon ordered that they be restored. Unfortunately the man chosen for the job decided the chapel was not worth saving. It was torn down, and its stones, as well as the tombs and gravestones, were used to restore the chateau. The lead coffins were melted down, and the bones left in a heap. One of the gardeners had the kindness to bury them.
Years later, the common grave was opened, and an attempt was made to decide which of the skeletons was Leonardo’s. One was chosen because it was tall and had a fine head. It was later reburied, the grave marked with a plaque that might be the remains of Leonardo da Vinci. They probably are not.
Leonardo’s work suffered a similar fate. Today only about a dozen of his paintings have been identified. Of course, the Mona Lisa lost her pillars and a lovely portrait, Ginevra Benci, is missing a strip on the bottom containing her hands. Several paintings have disappeared, and others have been badly retouched. The Battle of Anghiari is gone, and what we know of it comes only from copies made by other artists. The Last Supper seems plagued by misfortune. In 1624 the monks cut a door into the wall, removing Jesus’ feet. The painting was twice damaged by floods. And during the Napoleonic Wars the room was used as a stable. Idle soldiers are said to have passed the time by throwing bricks at the apostles’ heads. During World War II, the chapel was destroyed by Allied bombs. Miraculously the wall bearing The Last Supper did not fall, saved by a pile of sandbags.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Links
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo’s Early Life
Leonardo’s Education
Leonardo’s Turning Point
Leonardo Starting Work
Leonardo In Milan
Leonardo In Italy
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October 9th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
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