Leonardo da Vinci's First Drawing May Depict Celano in Abruzzo
In a significant discovery, researchers Antonio Palesati, Maria Teresa Stefani, and Maurizio Ragni have pinpointed the setting of Leonardo da Vinci's 1473 artwork "Paesaggio con fiume" (P8, Uffizi) to the vicinity of Celano, L'Aquila, Abruzzo. The piece illustrates a forested incline alongside a stream near a village atop a hill. Their investigation included biographical research and comparisons of landscapes. Following the Sacco di Volterra, Leonardo resided at Celano's Castello Piccolomini, home to his Medici associate Antonio Todeschini Piccolomini. Notably, Leonardo's inscription on the back of the drawing states: "Io, morando dantonio sono chontento." Local officials are planning to create a documentary exhibition on Leonardo's early works at the castle, which may also lead to a manuscript restoration lab.
Key facts
- Leonardo da Vinci's first drawing, 'Paesaggio con fiume' (P8), dated 1473, is held at the Uffizi.
- Three researchers identified the landscape as the area around Celano, L'Aquila, Abruzzo.
- The drawing depicts a wooded and rocky slope with a stream at the foot of a hilltop village.
- Leonardo was a guest at Castello Piccolomini in Celano after the Sacco di Volterra.
- The castle was the residence of Antonio Todeschini Piccolomini, a Medici ally.
- Leonardo's handwriting on the watermark verso reads: 'Io, morando dantonio sono chontento'.
- Celano's medieval fulling mills supplied paper for Leonardo's 'Trattato di pittura'.
- A documentary exhibition on Leonardo's early works is planned at Castello Piccolomini.
Entities
Artists
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Antonio Palesati
- Maria Teresa Stefani
- Maurizio Ragni
Institutions
- Uffizi
- Castello Piccolomini
- Ministero della Cultura
Locations
- Celano
- L'Aquila
- Abruzzo
- Italy
- Volterra
- Florence