About Leonardo da Vinci

There are many curiosities about the figure of Leonardo Da Vinci, but scientists continue to reveal information about this genius and today we have collected some news that you may not know.

He was one of the first to "unmask" the fortune tellers

It is known that for his studies Leonardo often inspected the corpses and it is precisely by observing the hands of dead people that Da Vinci was convinced that fortune tellers actually "invented". In fact, analysing the hands of people who died at the same time, he noticed that the lifelines were different from one person to another.

He understood what the heart really is for

At the time Leonardo lived, it was thought that the function of the heart was to heat the blood, but the painter discovered that in reality this organ worked as a "pump".

The Mona Lisa was not brought to France by the Napoleonic, but by Leonardo

For decades it was thought that the Napoleonic had brought the Mona Lisa to France, but the truth is that it was Leonardo Da Vinci who brought the painting to France and in return King Francis I gave him 4000 scudi, or two years of salary.

He was a vegetarian

Leonardo Da Vinci was not only a convinced vegetarian, but he loved animals very much and he often freed them to prevent them from being sold in markets and then killed.

He loved to experiment

Leonardo Da Vinci loved to experiment with different painting techniques and more. Often his tests did not give the expected results or did not last long, as it happened in the case of the fresco in which he painted the Last Supper, a work that deteriorated and that required several adjustments, but sometimes his intuitions were brilliant.

He wrote from right to left

One of the most interesting curiosities about Leonardo Da Vinci's life concerns his way of writing. The numerous drafts and studies that have been found clearly show that the painter wrote using a specular style: he wrote from right to left. He had been criticized because of this particularity for a long time, but apparently it was something usual among left-handed people.

He loved to tell jokes

Apparently, Leonardo loved to tell jokes, he was also good at this and it seems that he preferred "dirty" jokes.

He discovered what tree rings represent

It was Leonardo Da Vinci who discovered that the tree rings inform us about the age of the plant. This important discovery has recently given rise to a new science that allows us to study climate change and understand different aspects of the past related to climate.

He was very ambitious

Leonardo Da Vinci had many projects in mind and in order to achieve them he was looking for sponsors among the wealthy people of the time. Among these we remember Ludovico Il Moro who financed several projects of the Florentine genius, including some works for the war. However, it is not sure how many works he managed to achieve.

Article by: Aurora Caraman