The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. List 7 random/weird things about your favorite historical figure.
3. Tag seven more people at the end of your blog and link to theirs.
4. Let the person know they have been tagged by leaving a note on their blog.
First, I had to decide who my favorite historical figure was, because I've never though about it in that way before. To answer this question, I went to my bookshelf. A-ha! That was easier than I thought. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci it is. Now I'm annoyed I didn't come up with that immediately.
Now, the hard part. What do I know about him right off the bat, before I have to cheat and do some internet research? It's been a while since since I've read any of my tomes about him and his work. So, here's how this went. First, I sketched out what I remembered without help. Then I went to the DaVinci wiki for images and links. Then, I bounced around the wiki some more for further information that I didn't remember, or didn't even know. Those instances are pointed out where appropriate.
1) As famous as he his for his paintings, very few actually survive; it's in the mid-teens. He frequently used substandard materials that just didn't stand the test of time. The main reason for this was his obsessive need to experiment. Check out the list; it's amazing how little we have from him that was 100% his and we know this with 100% certainty.
2) Legend has it that the first master he apprenticed under, Verrocchio, never painted again after they collaborated on The Baptism of Christ and Leonardo's work far outclassed the master's. Most likely exaggeration. (wiki update: it is thought that perhaps Boticelli worked on this painting too.)
3) He was considered a very good looking man, likely the model for Verrocchio's David. His sexuality has been much speculated about, and he was even tried for (and acquitted of) sodomy with three other young artists of the time. The consensus is that he was gay, because so few women figure prominently in the thin historical record of his life. Or, was he more of a libertine, an equal opportunity lech? Who knows?
4) I don't know if this is "random" or "weird," but when you think about it, has anyone had his work more parodied than DaVinci? Between the Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and the Vitruvian Man, the number of parodies/homages has to number in the thousands. The only other one that comes close is the Creation of Adam portion of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, by Michelangelo.
5) As good as his paintings were, his sketchbooks and journals show the true nature of his genius. Thousands of pages of, well, everything. His study of the flow of water led to advancements in knowledge of bridge building and erosion. He described "planetshine" (though with some erroneous assumptions) well before its existence was proven (wiki update: 100 years later, by Kepler). His theories to explain why fossils could be found in mountains came 100s of years before plate tectonics were but a gleam in science's eyes. And that's just in the Codex Leicester! Half a percent of his estimated page output! Anatomy, biology, flight, bridges, botany, engineering, 100s of inventions... just fucking everything. OK, now I'm depressed.
6) Yes, he did write in mirror script, as portrayed in The DaVinci Code. There is no "accepted" explanation for this. Was it an attempt at code? Or, as a lefty, did he find it easier to write from right to left? The code one really is the least likely. Come on, how difficult would that be for someone to figure out? That's a pretty fascinating link, actually. Check it out.
7) Bridge ideas that he sketched 500 years ago are quite viable. In the planning stages is a 720-foot bridge that will span the Golden Horn. He designed it in 1502, for Sultan Bayezid II. The plan was announced in 2006. I am so going to Turkey when that puppy opens. Here's a smaller replica of the same bridge, built as a footbridge in Norway. (wiki update: this whole item. I was tapped out after 6.)
OK, Chemist, you owe me three hours of my life back. I'll tag Bill, Mike (though he's somehow neglected to put me on his blogroll), Melissa, Fridge, litbrit, Mr. Furious (though he's somehow neglected to put me on his blogroll), and that's pretty much all I've got that Chemist didn't already cover.
Aside - here are the works I've seen in person:
