LeonardodiserPierodaVinci(pronunciation(help·info)),April15,1452–May2,1519)wasaprominentItalianpolymath:scientist,mathematician,engineer,inventor,anatomist,painter,sculptor,architect,Theillegitimatesonofanotary,MesserPiero,andapeasantgirl,Caterina,Leonardohadnosurnameinthemodernsense,"daVinci"simplymeaning"ofVinci":hisfullbirthnamewas"LeonardodiserPierodaVinci",meaning"Leonardo,sonof(Mes)serPierofromV"Leonardohasoftenbeendescribedasthearchetypeofthe"Renaissanceman"oruniversalgenius,H[2]ItisprimarilyasapainterthatLTwoofhisworks,theMonaLisaandTheLastSupperoccupyuniquepositionsasthemostfamous,mostreproducedandmostimitatedportraitandreligiouspaintingofalltime,theirfameapproachedonlybyMichelangelo'sCreationofALeonardo'sdrawingoftheVitruvianMPerhapsfifteenpaintingssurvive,thesmallnumberduetohisconstant,andfrequentlydisastrous,experimentationwithnewtechniques,[3]Neverthelessthesefewworks,togetherwithhisnotebooks,whichcontaindrawings,scientificdiagrams,andhisthoughtsonthenatureofpainting,Asanengineer,Leonardoconceivedideasvastlyaheadofhisowntime,conceptualisingahelicopter,atank,concentratedsolarpower,acalculator,andthedoublehull,Relativelyfewofhisdesignswereconstructedorevenfeasibleduringhislifetime,[4]Asascientist,hegreatlyadvancedthestateofknowledgeinthefieldsofanatomy,civilengineering,optics,