How did Leonardo da Vinci died?

Leonardo da Vinci died on 02.05.1519 at Cloux Castle, France. Nothing is known about the cause of death. It is assumed that he died of a stroke.

How was Leonardo buried?

Leonardo specified in his will how he wanted to be buried. On the day of the funeral, three large and thirty silent masses were held in the four churches of Amboise. The funeral procession went from Leonardo's chateau in Cloux to the cemetery of the church of Saint-Florentin in Amboise. Leonardo's coffin was carried by the priests of the church of Saint-Florentin. He was accompanied by clergy from the four churches, as well as by 60 paupers, each carrying a large candle. The 60 candles were then distributed among the four churches.

Who inherited Leonardo's property?

Leonardo's considerable fortune was divided among his half-brothers, the two pupils Francesco Melzi and Salai, as well as his servant Vilanis and his maid. They inherited gold, land, utensils, furniture and clothes. Francesco Melzi was appointed executor of the will. The paintings from Leonardo's estate probably went to Salai and from him to the French king, the notebooks went to Francesco Melzi.

Leonardo's last years

Leonardo in France

Leonardo stayed at the Pope's court in Rome between 1513 and 1516. After the unexpected death of Leonardo's patron Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, the Pope's brother, Leonardo accepted an invitation from the French king and went to France, to the royal court in Amboise, with his pupils Francesco Melzi and Salai. He spent the last three years of his life there.

The king's headquarters was a castle in Amboise in northern France, about 200km southwest of Paris. The king left Leonardo a castle in the neighboring village of Cloux, only 500m away. Both are connected by a tunnel. The king is said to have used this tunnel for private conversations with Leonardo.

Leonardo was highly respected at the French court and as "the king's painter" received the same salary as the highest royal official (1000 ducats). This was less than Leonardo received in Milan (2000 ducats), but this was probably due to court policy. To pay the highest salary to a foreigner, and even more so to a painter, i.e. a craftsman according to the understanding of the time, would probably have led to unrest at court. Probably Leonardo was given the castle as a privilege. The castle in which Leonardo lived is still preserved and can be visited.

Leonardo's tasks at court

Leonardo's tasks at court coincided with his tasks in Milan. He took care of a sewerage project in Sologne, supervised the work on the royal palace in Romorantin, and he again designed an equestrian statue, but it was never realized. In addition, he acted as a creative mind for fantastic ideas for public events and designed, for example, lifting platforms for theater sets.

From de Beati's travel report of 1517 it is inferred that Leonardo had the following paintings with him in Cloux: La Belle Ferronière, Anna Selbdritt, Mona Lisa and John the Baptist. All of these paintings are still in France today (Louvre Museum, Paris).

The last eyewitness report

It is believed that Leonardo had a series of strokes starting in 1516. This is said to have paralyzed his right side and he is said to have been unable to paint. This is also the reason why his late works are dated at most to 1516.

Did Leonardo da Vinci die of a stroke?

Like much of Leonardo literature, this claim is based on a free interpretation of the testimony of a contemporary witness, Antonio de Beatis, scribe to Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona. Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona was an Italian high nobleman - he was closely related to the king of Naples - and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He undertook a large-scale diplomatic tour of Western Europe in 1517-1518. While there, he had his scribe Antonio de Beatis keep a travel diary. This travel diary is the last source that reports about Leonardo who is still alive.

How does it come to the assumption?

The Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona visited the French King Francis I on 10.10.1517 Amboise in France, the seat of the royal court at that time. Leonardo's castle was only 500m away. The Cardinal visited Leonardo there and his scribe made a short entry about the visit. He reported an "aged Leonardo da Vinci" (Leonardo was just 65): "unfortunately, nothing more can be expected from the master, because his right hand is paralyzed". He did not note anything more about it.

From this few, the legend was formed in art history that Leonardo's alleged paralysis was caused by a stroke, which was then simply adopted by subsequent authors. Building on this, there are ever wilder speculations about Leonardo's alleged age-related illnesses right up to the present day.

Leonardo was left-handed

It is overlooked that Leonardo was left-handed. As a result, he conspicuously moved his right hand less often, so that it must have appeared paralyzed to strangers. Especially when their visit was very brief. It is therefore very questionable whether Leonardo actually died of a stroke. The fact is that there are no sources that address the cause of Leonardo's death.

The original text from Antonio de Beati's travelogue

"In one of the districts my lord and the rest of us went to see the Florentine Leonardo Vinci, more than 70 years old [Note: Here the writer is mistaken, Leonardo was 65 at the time], an excellent painter of our time, who showed his illustrious lordship three paintings: One of a certain Florentine woman, a very beautiful painting made at the request of the Magnifico Giuliano de Medici, the other of a young John the Baptist and one of the Madonna and her son placed in the lap of St. Anne, all very perfect, although we can no longer expect anything good from him because of a certain paralysis on the right side.

He has a Milanese well trained who does his thing very well. And although the said Sir Leonardo cannot paint with his usual sweetness, he can make drawings and teach others. This gentleman has treated anatomy with painting, both of the limbs and of the muscles, nerves, veins, joints, viscera, and of what can be said of the bodies of men and women, in a manner which no other man has done and which we have seen with our own eyes; and already he told us that he had done the anatomy of more than 30 bodies of men and women of all ages.

He has also written of the nature of water, of various machines, and other things, according to what he has reported, in an infinite number of volumes in the vernacular, which, when they come to light, will be very illuminating and beneficial to read.

In the said palace one has seen a library, not small, furnished not only with desks from head to foot, but also with shelves from bottom to top, all full of books. In addition to these, there are some stored in a cabinet in boxes. Said books are all made of parchment, written with beautiful handwriting, covered with silk of different colors and fitted with pompous locks and clasps of gilded silver. There we were shown the Triomphi of Petrarch, handwritten by a Fleming with a quite excellent miniature. And the Remedio contra adversam fortunam by the same Messer Francesco. A certain Book of Hours of the Madonna on a large scale with its stories, and the mysteries of the Passion of painting, very beautiful and old. One of the Metamorphoses in Latin and French, all decorated, with many other beautiful books that could not be seen for lack of time. And in one of the said books, there were very beautiful borders or cameos made of shells in the shape of half a large egg lengthwise, very finely worked, in the corners and in the center. Among these books there are many that must have belonged to King Ferdinand the First and Duke Ludovico Sforza, based on the coats of arms on the covers: those of King Ferdinand purchased by the unfortunate Queen Isabella after the death of King Frederick in France, and the others acquired, I believe, during the invasion of the Duchy of Milan.

There was also a painting in which a certain lady from Milan was painted in oil after nature, which is very beautiful, but in my opinion not as beautiful as Signora Isabella Gualanda.

We were also shown a very beautiful and large astrolabe, on which the whole cosmography is painted: and in one of the cabinets, of which there are two, there is a very ingenious clock, on which many things of astrology and celestial signs are shown. Under the palace there are three gardens with fruit and deciduous trees, which can be reached through a gallery"

The importance of de Beati's text for art history

Besides speculations about the cause of Leonardo da Vinci's death, the travelogue of Antonio de Beatis often serves as a starting point for research on the paintings mentioned in it. According to this, Anna Selbritt and John the Baptist were almost certainly in France with Leonardo, since no other paintings with these motifs are known that are associated with Leonardo's authorship. Nevertheless, these could also be other Leonardo works that have disappeared today.

That the 'Lady from Milan' and the 'certain Florentine' are the Belle Ferroniere and the Mona Lisa, respectively, is very plausible, but cannot be determined with certainty based on the limited information in the travelogue. With regard to the 'certain Florentine', the 'very beautiful painting made at the request of the Magnifico Giuliano de Medici', the statement supports the identification of the Mona Lisa as Lisa del Giocondo (née Gherardini).

Leonardo's Testament

Probably in April 1519, three weeks before his death, Leonardo appoints the notary Boreau and makes his will. The will is dated by Boreau as "23.04.1518, before Easter". However, it is probably a case of confusion on the part of the scribe and he means the year 1519. This is relevant because, with regard to the timely death, it suggests that Leonardo knew he was going to die soon. This, in turn, indicates acute suffering.

The Easter Sunday of 1518 fell on 04.04., so it should have correctly read "23.04.1518, after Easter" (and not "before"). With Easter is generally meant the Easter weekend, thus from Good Friday to Easter Monday. In particular, however, Easter means Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection.

Easter Sunday in 1519 fell on 24.04., so in this case the dating of the testament is correct: 23.04.1519, before Easter. It is therefore very likely that Leonardo's will was written down in 1519 and not in 1518 and that it was a case of confusion on the part of the notary.

Summary of the will

Details of the funeral ceremony

• Leonardo wanted to be buried in the church of Saint-Florentin in Amboise. The church is named after Saint Florentin. The name Florentin is derived from the Latin verb florens ('blooming'), as is the name of Leonardo's hometown Florence, 'the blooming one'. The coat of arms of Florence is a blooming lily
• in the four churches of the royal seat of Amboise, three solemn and thirty silent masses were held before the funeral
• Leonardo's coffin was then carried from the castle of Cloux to the church of Saint-Florentin by the chaplains of this church
• the coffin was accompanied by sixty poor people, each carrying a large candle, as well as by the leaders of the church of Saint-Florentin or their delegates and dignitaries of the three other churches
• the sixty candles were then distributed equally among the four churches of the village, that is, 15 candles per church

Leonardo's tomb was destroyed between 1562 and 1598 and during the Napoleonic period around 1807, Leonardo's remains have since been considered lost

Information about the heritage

• Leonardo's pupil Francesco Melzi (28 years old) was appointed executor of the will. He received Leonardo's notes, books, utensils and clothes, as well as the outstanding salary and Leonardo's monetary assets present in Cloux
• Leonardo's brothers received his fortune in the bank in Florence (400 sun ecus, about 1.4kg of gold)
• His pupil Salai (about 39 years old) got half of a property near Milan
• His servant Vilanis the other half. In addition, he received the rights to draw water on the navigable canal of St. Christopher in Milan, which King Louis XII once transferred to Leonardo, as well as all of Leonardo's furniture and utensils in Cloux
• His maid Maturina received a fine robe and two ducats (about 2-3 months salary)
• Furthermore, a small sum was donated to the poor of the Amboise area (70 Soldi= 3,5 Lira ~ about an average monthly salary)

After his death, Leonardo's paintings were probably in the possession of his pupil Salai. After his early death, they came into the possession of the French king

The original text

[For the sake of clarity, the text is provided with paragraphs and headings]

[Introduction]

"Let it be known to all present, and to those who join us later, that at the court of the King of our Sovereign at Amboise, Mr. Leonardo da Vinci, painter to the King, has appeared before us in person;
The same is at present staying in the place of Cloux, near Amboise, and in view of the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the hour of the same, he has declared and confessed before the said court, to which he has submitted and to which he is subject, and before us, that by the wording of this letter he has made and established his will and the disposition of his last will in the following manner. Before all else, he commends his soul to the Lord our God, to the glorious Virgin Mary, to St. Michael the Archangel, and to all the blessed angels and saints in Paradise.

[Burial place, transfer and services in four churches]

Further, that the said decedent be buried in the church of Saint-Florentin in Amboise, his body to be carried thither by the chaplains of the church.

Further, that his body be conveyed from the said place to the church of Saint-Florentin by the college of the said church, namely the rector and prior, or by the deputies and chaplains of the church of Saint-Dionysius of Amboise, moreover by the Minorites of the said place, and before his body is brought into the church, the testator desires that in the said church of St. Florentin three high masses be celebrated with deacon and subdeacon, and on the day on which three high masses are celebrated, thirty Gregorian silent masses shall also be celebrated.

Further, the same services as above shall be celebrated in the church of St. Dionysius.

Further, the same services shall be celebrated in the church of the above monks and Minorite friars.

[Books and instruments to Francesco Melzi]

urthermore, the above-mentioned testator gives and bequeaths to Messer Francesco de Melzo, nobleman of Milan, as payment for the services rendered to him in the past by his own courtesy, all and each one of the books which the testator presently possesses, and moreover the instruments and treatises on his art and the technique of the painter.

[Property in Milan to Salai and Battista de Vilanis]

Moreover, the same testator gives and bequeaths to his servant Battista de Vilanis for ever and ever half, viz. half of the garden which he owns outside the gates of Milan, and the other half of the same garden to his servant Salai; in which garden the said Salai has erected and built a house, which shall also belong and remain forever to the said Salai, his heirs and successors, in compensation for the good and welcome services rendered him by his servants, the said de Vilanis and Salai, henceforth and forever.

[Robe and Wages to Maturina]

Further, the same testator gives to his maid Maturina an upper robe of good black cloth lined with leather, and a single payment of two ducats: this also as remuneration for good services rendered to him by the same Maturina, henceforth and forever.

[The Funeral March with 60 candles]

Further, he desires that at his funeral sixty large wax candles be carried by sixty poor people, to whom money shall be given for the same at the discretion of the said Melzi, and these wax candles shall be distributed among the four churches mentioned.

[More candles for the four churches]

Further, the said testator gives to each of the above churches ten pounds of wax in the form of large candles to be placed in the said churches to serve on the day the said services are held.

[Donations to the poor]

Moreover, the poor in the hospice, the poor of St. Lazarus of Amboise, shall receive something, and for this the sum and amount of seventy soldi tornesi shall be given and paid to the treasurers of this brotherhood.

[Outstanding wages and clothes to Francesco Melzi]

Furthermore, the same testator gives and bequeaths to the said present and consenting Mr. Francesco da Melzi the remainder of his salary due until the day of his death and the sum of money owed to him by the treasurer or chief treasurer M. Johan Sapin owes him, and the sum of money he received from the aforesaid Sapin as his said salary, and in case he predeceases the aforesaid Melzi, and not otherwise, [he bequeaths to him] the moneys which according to him are presently in the possession of the said decedent in the said place of Cloux. And likewise he gives and bequeaths to the said Melzi all his clothes presently in possession in the said place of Cloux, both as a reward for the good and pleasant services rendered him, for this day and all time, and as a reward and fee for his trouble which he may have by the execution of this will, all however at the expense of the said testator.

[Bank assets to Leonardo's brothers]

He determines and wills that the sum of four hundred sun ecus in the hands of the chamberlain of Santa Maria Nuova in the city of Florence for safekeeping be given to his biological brothers residing in Florence, and in addition the interest and income owed by the said chamberlains to the said testator to this day on the said four hundred ecus, from the day they were given and entrusted by the said testator to the said chamberlains.

[Francesco Melzi shall execute the will]

Further, the said testator wills and ordains that the said Lord Francesco da Melzi shall be and remain the sole and exclusive executor of the entire will of the said testator, and that the said will shall be given its full and complete effect, and that what has been declared and said, shall be maintained and observed, supervised and complied with, the said testator, Mr. Leonardo da Vinci, appearing herein himself, hereby binding and obligating his heirs and successors with all his present and future movable and immovable property, and has hereby expressly waived anything to the contrary.

[Witnesses and Closing Formula]

Given in the said place of Cloux, in the presence of Magister Spirito Fleri, vicar of the church of St. Dionysius of Amboise, M. Guilelmo Croysant, parish priest and chaplain, Magister Cipriane Fulchin, Friar Francesco de Corton and Francesco of Milan, Friar of the Minorite Monastery of Amboise, called and summoned as witnesses for the said court, and in the presence of the aforesaid, consenting and assenting M. Francesco da Melzi, who by his faith and oath on his body, personally delivered to us, promised never to do anything against it, never to say anything against it, never to do anything against it. In token of truthfulness and as required and set forth in the legal treaties of Amboise, affixed with the royal seal. Given on the 23rd day of April 1518, before Easter.

[Rights to the navigable canal from St. Christopher to Battista de Vilanis]

And on the 23rd day of April 1518, in the presence of M. Guilelmo Borian, Royal Notary at the Court of Amboise, the aforesaid Messer Leonardo da Vinci, in his will and testament of his last will and testament, has granted to the aforesaid present and consenting M. Battista de Vilanis the right to the waters belonging to the navigable canal of St. Christopher in the Duchy of Milan, which the late King Louis XII, preserved in venerable memory, had once given to the said da Vinci, so that the said de Vilanis may always enjoy it in the manner of the said Lord who gave it to him. In the presence of Messer Francesco da Melzi, nobleman of Milan, and myself.

[Furniture and utensils to Battista de Vilanis]

And on the above-mentioned day of the said month of April in the said year 1518, the said lord Leonardo da Vinci, in his will and the above-mentioned disposition of his last will and testament, gave to the said lord Battista de Vilanis, present and accepting, all and every one of his furniture and paraphernalia from his present house in the said Cloux, but only in the event that the said de Vilanis survives the said lord Leonardo da Vinci; in the presence of the said lord Francesco da Melzi and myself, notary, etc. Boreau."

Whereabouts of Leonardo's paintings

Some of Leonardo's paintings always remained in his possession. Among them are the Madonna of the Rocks, the Belle Ferroniere, Anna Selbritt, the Mona Lisa and John the Baptist.

After Leonardo's death in 1519, according to current research, Leonardo's long-time student Salai seems to have had these paintings, or copies of them, in his possession. Salai died by an arrow as early as 1524 in an unknown dispute. Subsequently, his wife and sisters fought over his estate. This consisted mainly of paintings. These are listed in a notarial document, but without being described in detail.

From the notarial files of Pietro Paolo Crevenna: Salai's estate (excerpt)

"In the name of the Lord from his birth in the fifteen hundred and twenty-fifth year [1525], thirtieth notice, on Friday, April 1. John Jacobus de Caprotis de Oprena, called Salay, painter to the 29th of January 1524, having died a violent death, and leaving the ladies Angelina and Laurentiola, sisters Caprotis de Opprena, as his legitimate sisters and heirs in equal shares, and also the lady Blanca de Anono, his lawful wife [...]

[...]"

That these were originals from Leonardo's workshop, or works by his students, is clear from the relatively high sum with which the works were valued. A very good painter could demand between 100 and 300 scudo, depending on the size of the painting. However, paintings or portraits for strangers, i.e. not directly commissioned works, were traded many times cheaper. The fact that Salai's paintings were still sometimes valued like commissioned works is therefore remarkable.

Whereabouts of Leonardo's notebooks

After Leonardo's death, all of his writings and notebooks, now called codices, passed into the possession of his pupil Francesco Melzi, who kept them in his villa near Vaprio d'Adda, Milan. According to modern estimates, there may have been as many as 20,000 pages, some bound and some in individual sheets. After Melzi's death, the collection was broken up and dispersed throughout Europe. The manuscripts are now in museums in Madrid, London, Paris, Turin, Milan, and Rome. Another is privately owned by the entrepreneur Bill Gates (Codex Leicester).

Leonardo's death

Leonardo da Vinci died on 02.05.1519. He was 67 years old. There are no contemporary sources about the exact circumstances and so they are the cause of numerous speculations. Especially because Michelangelo, who was about 20 years younger, was able to reach a very high age of 89 years, Leonardo's life span is perceived as too short.

Vasari's Narrative

Giorgio Vasari was a painter and architect from Florence. He is considered the first art historian and is best known today for his biographies of artists. His Leonardo biography is considered the first more detailed description of Leonardo's life. In it, Vasari also tells of the day of Leonardo's death.

The biography was written about 30 years after Leonardo's death (published in 1550). When Leonardo died, Vasari was seven years old. Vasari's accounts have a reputation for containing many inaccuracies. Among other things, Vasari is mistaken in stating Leonardo's attained age. He had him live to be 75 years old, although Leonardo died at the age of 67.

Vasari's description of Leonardo's life contributed a lot to the creation of legends around Leonardo. Many artists and art historians still refer to his portrayal today. For example, the famous painting "The Death of Leonardo da Vinci" (1818) by Ingres was based on Vasari's account.

The original text from Vasari's Leonardo biography

Finally, having grown old, he lay ill for many months, and when death approached him, he wished to be instructed with all diligence in the Catholic rite and the correct doctrine of the holy Christian religion. He confessed penitently with many tears, and although he could no longer stand on his feet, he nevertheless, supported by the arms of his friends and servants, had the Holy Sacrament administered to him outside his bed. The king, who visited him often and lovingly, came to see him soon after. Leonardo reverently raised himself up to sit in bed, described to him his evil with all the circumstances, and complained that he had been deficient against God and man, since he had done nothing in art as his duty should have been. This effort called forth a stronger fit, which was the harbinger of death. The king rose up and held his head to give him a help and favour to relieve his evil. Then Leonardo's divine spirit realised that no greater honour could befall him, and he passed away in the arms of the king in the 75th year of his life.

His death caused the greatest sadness to all who had known him. Never had painting been more honoured by an artist.

Sources

Frank Zöllner, Leonardo, Taschen (2019)

Martin Kemp, Leonardo, C.H. Beck (2008)

Charles Niccholl, Leonardo da Vinci: Die Biographie, Fischer (2019)

Highly recommended

Marianne Schneider, Das große Leonardo Buch – Sein Leben und Werk in Zeugnissen, Selbstzeugnissen und Dokumenten, Schirmer/ Mosel (2019)

How did Leonardo da Vinci passed away?

How did Mona Lisa died?

What did da Vinci say before he died?