Bottega di Leonardo
Bottega di Leonardo was the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, where he would often design and build his inventions, as well as decode pages of the Codex.
Throughout the years, he would relocate from Florence, to Venice, then Rome; however, the workshop would maintain its purpose and appearance.
Florence
While living in Florence, Leonardo's workshop was located in the center of the city. There, he created commissions for the local townspeople, one of whom was Maria Auditore da Firenze. Through her, he met her son, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who would frequent his different workshops in later years.[1]
After Ezio had become an Assassin in 1476, Leonardo once hid him in his workshop, while he went to intercept the guard searching for him.[1]
Aside from painting and design, Leonardo would also study human anatomy in his workshop, with the city often sending him dead bodies for research. Because of this, Ezio was once able to hide a guard he had killed in Leonardo's workshop.[1]
This studio was where Leonardo first received and decoded a page of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex, from which he designed and built the Hidden Blade. Through other pages, he would also build upgrades for it, such as the second blade, and poison blade.[1]
After receiving a commission from a Venetian noble in 1480, Leonardo left Florence, and relocated his workshop to Venice.[1]
Venice
- "And now, I present to you, your workshop, Ser da Vinci! We spared no expense in its design! You'll see it is perfect; as if you never left Firenze!"
- ―Alvise da Vilandino.[src]
Upon arriving and being toured by Alvise da Vilandino, Leonardo was introduced to his new workshop. Alvise commented that it would be "as if he never left Firenze," and indeed, the building and interior was nearly identical to his workshop in Florence.[1]
Leonardo would continue to decode Codex pages for Ezio in this workshop, as well as design upgrades for the hidden blade, including the Hidden Gun. Here, he also improved the design of his Flying Machine, which allowed Ezio to fly over Venice to the Palazzo Ducale.[1]
In 1488, after retrieving the Apple of Eden from Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio brought it to Leonardo's workshop. There, he, Leonardo, Mario Auditore, and Niccolò Machiavelli attempted to discover its purpose.[1]
Rome
In 1499, after being forcibly recruited by the Papal Captain General Cesare Borgia, Leonardo began to design and create weapons and War machines for the Borgia forces. As such, by 1500, he had relocated his workshop to Rome.[2]
He remained there even after Cesare's fall from power. In 1506, Leonardo spent much time in his workshop studying Pythagoras, as well as gathering information on the Pythagorean temple.[2]
It was at this time that he also began his work on the Mona Lisa.[2]
Database Entries
Florence
Leonardo da Vinci opened his own studio after completing his apprenticeship to Verrocchio, one of the most successful Florentine artists of the day.
Between 1476 and 1481, Leonardo probably continued to collaborate with Verrocchio, although no one is quite sure what he was working on. In 1481, he was given his first commission by the monks of San Donato a Scopeto, to paint The Adoration of Magi.
In true da Vinci style, he began the painting, but never finished it.[1]
Venice
During his brief stay in Venice, Leonardo da Vinci was a paid military engineer for the Venetian army, and claimed to be working on a painting of the famous Isabella d'Este, of whom he had made a cartoon while visiting Mantua. Despite promising her repeatedly that he was hard at work, no painting ever materialized.
Although many history books claim Leonardo only visited Venice once, it seems that he used his workshop there as sort of secret retreat, returning to it repeatedly during his life.[1]
Trivia
- The memory "Ace Up My Sleeve" is the first time that Ezio enters the workshop.
- In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, you are able to enter the workshop during the Cristina Memories that take place in Florence.
Gallery
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Concept art of Leonardo's workshop. -
Leonardo looking over his designs.
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Leonardo's workshop in Venice.
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Some of Leonardo's sketches in his workshop.
