da Vinci's France

Leonardo da Vinci’s art is for everyone to see and admire. Ragini Ramachandra discovers the artist’s joyous last days in France under the  king’s patronage . 

That Leonardo da Vinci, the great Italian Renaissance master, spent the last part of his life in a small picturesque medieval town called Amboise in the Loire Valley of France was a pleasant discovery we made during our recent visit to that country. We were on a fortnight-long group tour that took us through many landmark cities and towns, offering us enviable glimpses of French landscape and refreshing insights into their way of life. 

Travelling along the banks of the Loire, we arrived in the hillside town of Amboise on a hot, sultry afternoon. As it so often happens in group tours, we were faced with a difficult choice — either visit the Chateau Royal Amboise perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the town, where Leonardo was commissioned to paint and where his remains are interred in the adjoining chapel, or the House where he lived, now turned into a museum, some 400 metres away from the palace. Since we couldn’t have combined both in the limited time available, we decided to visit his house, Chateau du Clos Luce on Rue Victor Hugo Street.

Pain & gain

To confess, it turned out to be an arduous walk, our discomfort augmented by the tremendous pressure of having had to return to the coach within the stipulated time! Small wonder if the distance looked interminable. But what kept us going was the urge to see a heritage building connected with an extraordinary man. When we did sight it at last, we heaved a sigh of relief.

Exhaustion soon gave way to thrill as we stood before this two-storied building with its octagonal tower and a façade of pink brick and tufa stone, said to ‘bear the architectural stamp of the 15th century’. Built in 1471, this was the summer residence of the French kings for 200 years! Accepting the royal invitation of Francois I, Leonardo had crossed the Alps on mule back with several of his disciples and a faithful servant at the age of 64. He is said to have taken three of his favourite paintings with him, which included the ‘painting of a Florentine lady!’

It was here he spent the last three years of his life, (1516-1519) enjoying the patronage of the king and his sister, who was a lady of letters and an author of famous short stories. He was appointed ‘First painter, architect and engineer of the King’ with a princely allowance. The king financed his work and all that he expected in return was the pleasure of hearing him talk, a pleasure which it is said he enjoyed almost every day! 

Underground passage

The chateau even has a secret underground passage connecting it with the Royal Palace, which the king sometimes used to visit Leonardo. Assured of the king’s love and care, he was free to dream and work on his myriad passions that included painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, civil and military engineering, aviation, plant biology, human anatomy, philosophy and what have you!

It is understandable that this most remarkable man of his age, who was intensely keen on exploring the mystery of life and unravelling the secrets of Nature, should have believed: All our knowledge stems from our sensitivity. It was also his credo that ‘No being ends in nothing’. It is the fullness of his being that this most imaginatively conceived museum presents to the eager scholar, student, artist and layman alike. One can see his spirit radiating in the place.

The tour of the museum begins with a climb up the watch tower through a narrow spiral staircase. Leonardo’s bedroom on the first floor with its ornamental fireplace, carved Renaissance style, four-poster canopied bed with its rich furnishing, cabinets inlaid with ivory, ebony and mother-of-pearl, tapestries, portraits and some objects of art presents a picture of both aristocracy and elegance. We were delighted to see his timeless Mona Lisa painting right opposite his bed!

What lends a halo of significance to this room is the fact that on April 23, 1519, (hardly a week before his death) Leonardo reportedly wrote his will, leaving his manuscripts and notebooks containing his drawings and sketches to his beloved disciple, Francesco Melzi. It was here that he died on May 2, 1519, after receiving the Holy Sacraments. It is said that the king was with him in his final moments. And what makes it even more poignant is the fact that he is believed to have wept on his deathbed for having “offended his Creator and the people of the world by not working at his art as he should have.” Humility could not have gone farther.

The basement, which holds some 40 scale models of Leonardo’s inventions (500 years ahead of his times), drawings, paintings, sketches, thoughtfully embellished with his wise sayings, is another chief attraction of this place.

Green inspiration

The garden surrounding the chateau reveals yet another aspect of Leonardo’s multi-faceted personality — his fondness for plants, flowers and trees. He studied the plants in his garden that nourished his thoughts as well as his drawings. No wonder his life is described as ‘a dialogue with Nature’. A painter and botanist when botany was not yet a science, he was a philosopher who tried to understand the essence of life, which in turn drove him to ask questions and experiment constantly.

The visitor to the garden is greeted by a big double-spanned oak bridge designed by Leonardo. The bridge with its innovative triangular structure is widely used today. One comes across vegetation that he tried to depict in his drawings, paintings and sketches.

 Canvases of his paintings based on his walks amidst the Alps that illustrate his art and technique are also displayed, and audio recordings containing his advice to painters are played under the great Plane trees. The ‘Mona Lisa’ roses here, named after his immortal creation, are indeed a lovely tribute to the artist.