In April of 1501 Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), now in his early fifties, was in Florence, working on a "small painting," a Madonna and Child intent on yarn-winding, destined for Florimond Robertet, favourite of Louis XII, the king of France. This Information is gleaned from a letter by Fra Pietro da Novellara to Isabella d'Este, dated 14 April 1501. When the letter was published in 1869, it did little other than to add yet another entry to the list of Leonardo's lost works: the Madonna of the Yarnwinder. It was only in the 20th century that the subject described in the letter was recognized...
In April of 1501 Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), now in his early fifties, was in Florence, working on a "small painting," a Madonna and Child intent o...
