Leonardo da Vinci is a famous artist today because of his famous painting of the “Mona Lisa”. In the 14th century, the Venetians would have known him as an engineer, the Milanese would have known him for his Last Supper, but only the Florence would have seen his full character. Da Vinci is known as the archetypal Renaissance man, a man of “unquenchable curiosity” and a “feverish, inventive imagination.” Da Vinci created many technologies and new innovations that were so advanced for his time that many scholars did not believe him. It has contributed to civilization through three main fields: art, science and engineering. In a small town near Florence called Vinci, on April 15, 1452, Piero Da Vinci and a peasant woman, Caterina had a son who would become the start of a new era, the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was an illegitimate son, which meant he could not hold a prestigious position like a notary or doctor. In a sense this was in his favor because he had the opportunity to learn about his own interests. Da Vinci was born in the province of Florence. By the time Leonardo da Vinci was born, Florence had become a growing city, wealthy enough to finance many renowned artisans. This gave Da Vinci the chance to become an apprentice to the famous artist, goldsmith and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio had a large workshop in Florence at this time and shared his studio with colleagues such as; Domenico Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Botticello and Lorenzo de Credi. These men would have been scholars in; art, science and engineering. This allowed Da Vinci to observe other professional fields and come into contact with different professions. The area in which Da Vinci is most... middle of paper ......th century. " BBC News. BBC. Web May 5, 2014. .Cenedella, Marc. January 29, 2010 “CV of Leonardo Da Vinci”. Cenedella Web, April 15, 2014. “Diving apparatus”. Web. April 28, 2014. .Da-vinci -inventions.com, (2014). The invention of Leonardo da Vinci's robotic knight [online] Available at: http://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/robotic-knight.aspx. May 2014]. "Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519)." Thames & Hudson Dictionary of the Italian Renaissance, London: Thames & Hudson, 2006. Credo Reference Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519. BBC Science. BBC, November 2010. Web. May 6 2014. .