Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath who worked as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect during the High Renaissance. Despite having many incomplete works and less than 25 significant works ascribed to him, he created some of the most important paintings in Western art.

Leonardo da Vinci is recognized as one of the greatest painters in history and is often regarded as the originator of the High Renaissance. His greatest masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, is often recognized as the most renowned painting in the world. The Last Supper is the most widely reproduced religious picture in history, and his Vitruvian Man drawing is a cultural symbol. Salvator Mundi, a painting ascribed to Leonardo in whole or in part, was sold at auction for US$450.3 million in 2017, breaking the previous record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at public auction.