Milan, c. 1509

Leaving behind in Florence the incomplete Battle of Anghiari, Leonardo returns to Milan, now in service to the French. He reduces his overall artistic activity to concentrate on major projects (which he would never ultimately consign to their sponsors: Sant’Anna, Mona Lisa, San Giovanni) and on new compositional ideas which would be taken up by his pupils. He dedicates ever more attention to scientific research (anatomical dissection, the flight of birds, the study of water, earth sciences, geometry, etc.) and to writing. His library continues to grow. His papers and manuscripts have by now become a labyrinth of pages that even the master himself can no longer keep track of. He therefore sets to work on ordering his records and composing books, writing and rewriting hundreds of texts (in the Codex Leicester, for example). Francesco Melzi, a young Milanese apprentice with a strong humanistic preparation, begins to assist Leonardo in this complicated undertaking.

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