Salaì
Encyclopedia
Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì ("The Devil", lit. "The little unclean one"; 1480 – before 10 March 1524), was an Italian artist and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci
from 1490 to 1518. He created several paintings under the name of Andrea Salai. He was described as one of Leonardo's closest students and companions and is the presumed model for Leonardo's paintings St. John the Baptist
and Bacchus
. On Leonardo's death, he inherited the Mona Lisa
.
. He joined Leonardo's household at the age of ten as an assistant. Vasari describes Salaì as "a graceful and beautiful youth with curly hair, in which Leonardo greatly delighted". Although Leonardo described him as "a liar, a thief, stubborn and a glutton" and he stole from Leonardo on at least five occasions, he kept him in his household for more than 25 years, in which he trained as an artist. Salaì became a capable, although not very impressive, painter, who created several works, including the Monna Vanna, a nude version of the Mona Lisa
which may be based on a lost nude by Leonardo.
Leonardo is thought to have used Salaì as the model for several of his works, specifically St. John the Baptist
. When Leonardo travelled to France in 1516, Salai accompanied him and his other pupil, Francesco Melzi.
Salaì left France in 1518, and returned to work on Leonardo's vineyard, previously worked by Salai's father. On Leonardo's death in 1419, Salaì inherited several paintings including the Mona Lisa
as well as half a vineyard. Through his estate, many of those works, notably the Mona Lisa, passed into the possession of Francis I of France
.
Salai died in 1524 as a result of a wound received in a duel and was buried in Milan on 10 March 1524.
es on legs. It has been suggested, as early as the 16th century, that there was a sexually intimate relationship between Leonardo and Salai, but this cannot be known for certain.
.
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
from 1490 to 1518. He created several paintings under the name of Andrea Salai. He was described as one of Leonardo's closest students and companions and is the presumed model for Leonardo's paintings St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)
St. John the Baptist is an oil painting on walnut wood by the artist Leonardo da Vinci. Completed from 1513 to 1516, when the High Renaissance was metamorphosing into Mannerism, it is believed to be his last painting. The original size of the work was 69x57 cm. It is now exhibited at the Musée du...
and Bacchus
Bacchus (Leonardo)
Bacchus, formerly Saint John the Baptist, is a painting in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, France, based on a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is presumed to have been executed by an unknown follower, perhaps in Leonardo's workshop. Sidney J. Freedberg assigns the drawing...
. On Leonardo's death, he inherited the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
.
Life
Salaì was born in 1480 as son of Pietro di Giovanni, a tenant of Leonardo's vineyard near the Porta Vercellina, MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. He joined Leonardo's household at the age of ten as an assistant. Vasari describes Salaì as "a graceful and beautiful youth with curly hair, in which Leonardo greatly delighted". Although Leonardo described him as "a liar, a thief, stubborn and a glutton" and he stole from Leonardo on at least five occasions, he kept him in his household for more than 25 years, in which he trained as an artist. Salaì became a capable, although not very impressive, painter, who created several works, including the Monna Vanna, a nude version of the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
which may be based on a lost nude by Leonardo.
Leonardo is thought to have used Salaì as the model for several of his works, specifically St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)
St. John the Baptist is an oil painting on walnut wood by the artist Leonardo da Vinci. Completed from 1513 to 1516, when the High Renaissance was metamorphosing into Mannerism, it is believed to be his last painting. The original size of the work was 69x57 cm. It is now exhibited at the Musée du...
. When Leonardo travelled to France in 1516, Salai accompanied him and his other pupil, Francesco Melzi.
Salaì left France in 1518, and returned to work on Leonardo's vineyard, previously worked by Salai's father. On Leonardo's death in 1419, Salaì inherited several paintings including the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
as well as half a vineyard. Through his estate, many of those works, notably the Mona Lisa, passed into the possession of Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
.
Salai died in 1524 as a result of a wound received in a duel and was buried in Milan on 10 March 1524.
Salai's sexuality
A number of drawings among the works of Leonardo and his pupils make reference to Salai's sexuality. There is a drawing modelled on Leonardo's painting John the Baptist and called The Angel Incarnate, of a young man nude with an erect phallus, and appearing to represent Salai. The face of the figure is closer to Salai's copy of Leonardo's painting, than to the original John the Baptist in the Louvre. It may have been drawn by Salai himself. A page of drawings by Leonardo also includes a crudely drawn sketch by a student depicting an anus, identified as "Salaì's bum", pursued by a horde of penisPenis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
es on legs. It has been suggested, as early as the 16th century, that there was a sexually intimate relationship between Leonardo and Salai, but this cannot be known for certain.
Speculation
A group of Italian researchers has claimed that Salaì was the model for the Mona Lisa although those claims have been disputed by the LouvreLouvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
.
In popular fiction
- Salaì appears as a character in the Assassin's Creed: BrotherhoodAssassin's Creed: BrotherhoodAssassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010, Microsoft Windows in March 2011 and Mac OS X in May 2011...
DLCDownloadable contentDownloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
The Da Vinci Disappearance. - In DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Vertigo series,The 1995 Chiaroscuro graphic novels of 'The Private Lives of Leonardo Da Vinci' recounts a fictitious story of a love affair between Leonardo and Salai.