I was born on April 15,1452, in Vinci, just outside Florence, Italy. My parents parted ways shortly after my birth, and consequently produced my 17 half-siblings.
I grew up with my father in Vinci, who gave me access to many different scholarly texts, and exposed me to the well-established Vinci painting tradition.
I became my father's apprentice at the renowned workshop of Andrea del Verrochio in Florence when I was about 15. One of my first publicly produced works was an image of an angel in Verrochio's "Baptism of Christ." By some accounts, Verrochio was so humbled by my genius that he never painted again.
I entered the service of the Duke of Milan in 1482, abandoning my very first commissioned piece, "Adoration of the Magi." I remained in Milan for 17 years, until the Duke's fall from power in 1499. It was during these years that I developed many inventions, which never came to fruition.
Like many geniuses, I am interested in many things. This, and the fact that my creative mind is always thinking of new things to create, cause me to start a new project before I finish the first.
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