It was previously believed that da Vinci’s mother Caterina was a Tuscan peasant – but an expert on the Renaissance master believes the truth is more complicated.
Carlo Vecce, a professor at the University of Naples, told AFP at the launch of his new book on the subject: ‘Leonardo’s mother was a Circassian slave… taken from her home in the Caucasus Mountains, sold and resold several times in Constantinople, then Venice, before arriving in Florence.’
In the Italian city, she met a young notary, Piero da Vinci, ‘and their son was called Leonardo’.
The findings of Professor Vecce – who has spent decades studying da Vinci, whose works include the Mona Lisa – are based on Florence city archives.
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Leonardo da Vinci’s mother was a white SLAVE who was trafficked from the Caucasus mountains and sold many times, new research reveals
American Buddhist Net 