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Video: Who was Leonardo's favorite disciple, from whom the master wrote "Mona Lisa" and whose paintings today are worth millions
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salai, was born in 1480 in Italy and was a student of the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. Salai was also an artist. One of those masters who were little known to the general public. As Georges de La Tour became widely known only at the beginning of the 20th century, Caravaggio until the middle of the 20th century and Artemisia Gentileschi in the 1980s, so it was with Salai. Today, the work of Leonardo's most famous student is selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Salai's biography
Salai (Gian Giacomo Caprotti) came from a poor family. He came to Leonardo's studio as a 10-year-old boy in 1490, and the artist himself was almost 30 years old. The boy immediately gave the impression of a genius. Biographers write that Salai stole food from Leonardo and his guests or ate more than his owner considered decent. Yes, it was not easy with him, but Salai stayed with Leonardo for 25 years. Leonardo even left Salai after his death half of his vineyard. Leonardo gave the young Caprotti the name Salai ("little devil") because of his almost unbearable behavior: the young man constantly lied, stole and broke things. Despite this, they remained together until Leonardo's death in 1519. Although not many people know about him, Salai was an important part of Leonardo da Vinci's personal and creative life.
It is known that Leonardo da Vinci conceived the first airplane, conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar energy, a calculator, promoted research in anatomy, civil engineering, optics and hydrodynamics - all conceived and detailed for centuries before modern science proved him right. Considered one of the greatest painters of all time, his Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are some of the most famous paintings ever produced. But does everyone know a curious theory about who was the model for the famous La Gioconda? And to whom did Leonardo bequeathed it?
Leonardo about Salai
Here is what Leonardo himself wrote about his student: “Giacomo came to me at the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene (July 22, 1490) at the age of 10 years. On the second day, I cut out two shirts for him, a pair of stockings and a jacket. And when I saved some money to pay for these fabrics, he stole 4 lira from me - money from my wallet. I was never able to get him to confess, although I was quite sure of this fact. Thief, liar, obstinate glutton."
Giorgio Vasari, author of The Life of Artists, describes Salai as "a graceful and handsome young man with curly hair, whom Leonardo greatly admired."
Paintings with Salai
Some of the works that Leonardo da Vinci wrote together with Salai as a model are John the Baptist and Angel in the Flesh. Some also speculate that Salai was the model for Mona Lisa (perhaps during those moments when the actual heroine who commissioned the work was absent).
In fact, there are similarities in some facial features, especially the nose and mouth, with those in which Salai is believed to have been a model. Interestingly, the letters that make up "Mona Lisa" can be rearranged to make "Mon Salaì". "Bacchus" is the Roman god of wine and intoxication. And in this work, Leonardo drew the main character from Salai's assistant.
Salai's work
Favorite student Leonardo created his own paintings under the name of Andrea Salai. The Penitent Magdalene was sold at the Artcurial of Paris for 1.7 million euros. Depicted at three-quarters on a black background, the nude Mary Magdalene looks up, arms folded across her chest in prayer. Her long hair covers her body. It is noteworthy that the small picture excludes two important symbols: a halo and a vessel with healing ointment, which can usually be seen in the images of the saint.
This canvas is one of the rare works of Leonardo's pupil, very close to the technique of the genius of the Renaissance himself. The price of the painting is 1,745,000 euros. The researchers managed to recognize the fingerprint: the artist pressed his thumb on the fresh paint, which is typical for the technique of Leonardo and his workshop. There is evidence of only four or five of Salai's original paintings, including Christ the Redeemer, preserved in Milan. The rest are in private collections. There is a curious theory that the paintings that Salai owned were simply copies made by the student himself. For example, Salai is credited with a copy of "Mona Lisa" in the Prado, several copies of "Theotokos and St. Anne" and a copy of "St. John the Baptist" in Milan.
Thus, Gian Caprotti was a student, apprentice, model, treasurer of the great Leonardo da Vinci. He was married to Coldiroli Bianca d'Annono on June 14, 1523. A year later, he died in a duel as a result of a gunshot wound from a crossbow. Under his will, Leonardo gave Salai several paintings, including the Mona Lisa, as well as half of the vineyard.
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