The artist and science
Excerpt from the book 'Leonardo da Vinci - The Complete Paintings and Drawings' by Frank Zöllner
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With his studies into the proportions, the anatomy and the physiology of the human body, Leonardo had far from exhausted the spectrum of his interests. Again probably from the end of the 1480s onwards, he also devoted himself to other projects, which had absolutely nothing to do with art. These included not just the war machines encountered earlier (cf. Ch. IV, 14 and Cat. 562-593/ill. p. 119), but also designs for flying machines and studies of bird flight (Cat. 594-645). The question of whether Leonardo could ever have got off the ground in any of these devices is of little interest. The artist was probably fully aware of the problems any such attempt would have entailed, for the material weight of some of his machines was alone sufficient to keep them firmly on the ground. He nevertheless returned repeatedly to studies of bird flight, the aerodynamics of flying and the construction of wings. Curiosity and imagination clearly spurred him to execute studies and designs that went far beyond the technological capabilities of his own day (cf. Ch. 15). Such was Leonardo's perseverance that one might speak, in his case, of a triumph of "scientific" curiosity over the prospects of practical success. These studies are also indirect evidence of a certain, albeit still modest, prosperity, since Leonardo clearly had the time and financial means to explore areas of knowledge that were more likely to entail costs than to bring money in.
On the basis of what payments Leonardo accumulated his modest savings in the 1490s is not altogether clear, since surviving records are both incomplete and contradictory. Thus Luca Pacioli claims in his Divina proportione that Leonardo received only a regular salary as court artist as from 1496 (!), although this does not necessarily mean that the artist was better paid from this point onwards than he had been in previous years. Leonardo's income certainly fluctuated widely, ranging-it is estimated-between 50 and over 100 ducats a year. Nor were artists working for a court always paid regularly in cash; they were occasionally presented with gifts instead. The pros and cons of such a system of remuneration, which depended directly upon the humour and goodwill of the prince concerned, were experienced by Leonardo at first hand. In a lengthy draft of a letter written in 1495/96, he complains about the fact that he still has not been paid: for a period of 36 months he has received only 50 ducats (200 lire), with which it has barely been possible to maintain six people. His salary for two years is still outstanding, and he has been forced to pay for expensive assistants out of his own pocket. In another such draft, he again requests the premio del mio servizio, the "reward of my service" (RLW ยง 1344-1345).
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
With his studies into the proportions, the anatomy and the physiology of the human body, Leonardo had far from exhausted the spectrum of his interests. Again probably from the end of the 1480s onwards, he also devoted himself to other projects, which had absolutely nothing to do with art. These included not just the war machines encountered earlier (cf. Ch. IV, 14 and Cat. 562-593/ill. p. 119), but also designs for flying machines and studies of bird flight (Cat. 594-645). The question of whether Leonardo could ever have got off the ground in any of these devices is of little interest. The artist was probably fully aware of the problems any such attempt would have entailed, for the material weight of some of his machines was alone sufficient to keep them firmly on the ground. He nevertheless returned repeatedly to studies of bird flight, the aerodynamics of flying and the construction of wings. Curiosity and imagination clearly spurred him to execute studies and designs that went far beyond the technological capabilities of his own day (cf. Ch. 15). Such was Leonardo's perseverance that one might speak, in his case, of a triumph of "scientific" curiosity over the prospects of practical success. These studies are also indirect evidence of a certain, albeit still modest, prosperity, since Leonardo clearly had the time and financial means to explore areas of knowledge that were more likely to entail costs than to bring money in.
On the basis of what payments Leonardo accumulated his modest savings in the 1490s is not altogether clear, since surviving records are both incomplete and contradictory. Thus Luca Pacioli claims in his Divina proportione that Leonardo received only a regular salary as court artist as from 1496 (!), although this does not necessarily mean that the artist was better paid from this point onwards than he had been in previous years. Leonardo's income certainly fluctuated widely, ranging-it is estimated-between 50 and over 100 ducats a year. Nor were artists working for a court always paid regularly in cash; they were occasionally presented with gifts instead. The pros and cons of such a system of remuneration, which depended directly upon the humour and goodwill of the prince concerned, were experienced by Leonardo at first hand. In a lengthy draft of a letter written in 1495/96, he complains about the fact that he still has not been paid: for a period of 36 months he has received only 50 ducats (200 lire), with which it has barely been possible to maintain six people. His salary for two years is still outstanding, and he has been forced to pay for expensive assistants out of his own pocket. In another such draft, he again requests the premio del mio servizio, the "reward of my service" (RLW ยง 1344-1345).
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Leonardo da Vinci - The Complete Paintings and Drawings
Hardcover 11.4 x 17.3 in., 696 pages
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Da Vinci in detail: Leonardo's life and work - the definitive edition. All pictures, all drawings!
Detail of Studies of Wing Articulation, 1487–1490
Anatomical Study of the Muscles of the Leg, c. 1490