«Leonardo da Vinci» by Vincenzo Delle Donne

How could the illegitimate son of a rural notary possibly become the universal genius of all mankind? More than 500 years after his death, many things are still unclear about Leonardo da Vinci: his appearance, his paintings, the twists and turns of his life. Still firmly connected in touch with antiquity, he brought mankind into the modern era of knowledge. 
Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, inventor, homosexual, left-hander, vegetarian and humanist. Today we worship him as a painter who revolutionized Renaissance art,  but his blue-blooded clients praised and wooed the researcher, the military strategist and court entertainer in him, who brought about a new era of reason with his discoveries. Leonardo da Vinci left an encyclopedia of the knowledge of his time and ventured into spheres that had previously been considered absolute taboos.
The Italian journalist Vincenzo Delle Donne tells Leonardo's exciting and enlightening career in a an enticing way — how he became the protagonist of the Renaissance in Florence and the father of an entire generation of artists. Michelangelo and Raphael measured themselves against Leonardo, who finally outshone him artistically.
Vincenzo Delle Donne's book, in his search for clues, illuminates the historical and social environment in Florence and Italy that shaped the universal genius. The book is the product of years of research in Italian archives and museums. Seldom has the historical context of the Renaissance been described in such an interesting and clear manner.