04/08/2026
The 'Paesaggio' (Landscape) was painted on 5 August 1473 by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
The date is written in the left corner at the top of the painting.
The Paesaggio is not only the first known work painted by Leonardo, but also the first of its kind in Western art and civilization.
The painting depicts the territory of Valdinievole and Valdarno Inferiore, both located in Tuscany, enshroudded in the typical smoky effect, called 'sfumato', of the atmospheric perspective which was minted by Leonardo da Vinci.
The 'Paesaggio' is housed at the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe at the Uffizi Gallery and it is usually not displayed for conservative reasons. However, it was extraordinarily exhibited in 2019 at the Leonardo Museum in Vinci, during the celebrations for the 500th anniversary from Leonardo's death.
Leonardo was an illegitemate son, born outiside the marriage, from the notary Ser Piero and a modest lady, Caterina. He had no family name, so they just called him Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo from Vinci, his birthtown, next to Florence).
The diagnostic campaign carried by Opificio delle Pietre Dure in 2019 revealed that Leonardo da Vinci was ambidextrous. He wrote and painted with both hands: with the left - his dominant hand - and the right one.
The drawing bears two inscriptions: one is on the front side, written in the mirror by Leonardo from right to left: “Dì di s[an]ta Maria della neve / addj 5 daghossto 1473”; and the other on the back, ordinarily written from left to right: "Io, Morando d'Antoni, sono chontento", perhaps a note concerning a contract drafting.
A comparison between the two inscriptions provides us with the confirmation of Leonardo's ambidexterity.
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