In 1466 Leonardo secured himself a position in the workshop of Verocchio, undoubtedly one of the most successful painters of the day, and the young man’s work soon caught the eye of his celebrated master. Leonardo was eventually allowed to paint a small angel in the corner of one of Verrochio’s compositions and, according to legend, Verrocchio was so overwhelmed by the talent he saw in his pupil that he put down his brush and never painted again. He soon received an important commission to paint the Madonna of the Rocks, one of his largest pieces that now hangs in the Louvre, and in 1498 he created the Last Supper, a huge mural which has become one of the most famous images in the history of art. Probably painted in the early years of the 16th Century, the portrait known as the Mona Lisa, or more properly La Gioconda (the laughing girl), is undoubtedly the most reproduced image in Western art. Leonardo spent the last twelve years of his life employed by the King of France, who also became a close friend and granted him the use of the grand Chateau de Clos Luce.

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