Born in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci is most famous as a painter, but he was also a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and writer.
He is one of the most famous artists in history, and some people think he is one of the most talented people ever to have lived.
Leonardo was born in Vinci, a small town in Italy. That is where he got his name – 'da Vinci' means 'of Vinci,' so he was known as 'Leonardo from Vinci,' because he did not have a last name.
Leonardo started painting while he was a child, and when he was fourteen he was sent to the city of Florence and apprenticed to an artist named Verrocchio. In the workshop, Verrocchio and his
apprentices would often work on pieces together. That is why Leonardo only painted part of the earliest paintings we have of his.
By the time he was twenty, Leonardo da Vinci was good enough that his father set him up in his own workshop, and that is when he began creating artwork of his own.