One of the most important and influential figures of the Renaissance was the painter, sculptor, architect and engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci – a man that epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. He is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time (despite less than 25 of his paintings having survived). The Mona Lisa is the most famous of Leonardo’s works and the most famous portrait ever made. The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious painting of all time and his Vitruvian Man drawing is also regarded as a cultural icon. Leonardo is widely considered one of the most diversely talented individuals ever to have lived.

Leonardo, one of the most revered painters of his time, remains among the most important figures in art history. However, it is important to note that his influence goes far beyond – from the drawings, scientific diagrams, and technical studies in his notebooks it is known that his scientific writings and mechanical inventions were centuries ahead of their time.