Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15 April 1452 in Vinci, near Florence, and trained as an artist and engineer in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he developed his mastery of drawing, painting, sculpture, and mechanical design. Celebrated for works such as The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, he also produced innovative studies in anatomy, hydraulics, architecture, and flight. Invited to France in 1516 by King Francis I, he settled at the Château du Clos Lucé near Amboise as “Premier Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King.” During these final years, he worked on a number of architectural and engineering projects, including conceptual designs that are believed to have influenced the double-helix staircase at Chambord. Leonardo died at Amboise on 2 May 1519 and was buried in the chapel of Saint-Hubert at the Château d’Amboise.
