Leonardo da Vinci is regarded as the model Renaissance Man whose endeavors reflect his accomplishment in a variety of artistic and scientific disciplines. While best known for his paintings Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, he was also a scientist who pursued an astonishing diversity of studies. His Notebooks contain observations and inventions that reveal a wide-ranging intellect centuries ahead of its time.

Leonardo was born in the village of Vinci in 1452, the illegitimate son of a well-to-do Florentine notary. He was educated at home, where he also received instruction in music and art. Around the year 1467 Leonardo was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio, a prominent Florentine painter, sculptor, and goldsmith. Verrocchio tutored da Vinci in painting and sculpture, though more often than not, according to legend, the student corrected the master. In 1472 Leonardo was inducted into the Florentine guild of painters. During the decade that followed he...