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Decoding the “Death of Leonardo da Vinci” or “Francis I Receives the Last Breaths of Leonardo da Vinci”, 1818 oil painting by the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
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01:12In my wandering over the internet the painting is shown caught my attention on several occasions.
01:16It is well known but it also invariably comes across as whimsical.
01:21The death of Leonardo da Vinci, or, Francis I receives the last breaths of Leonardo da Vinci,
01:28is an 1818 oil painting by the French artist Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingra, which shows the
01:34Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci on his deathbed on May 2, 1519, with Francis
01:40I of France holding his head.
01:41It was commissioned by Pierre-Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas, the French ambassador in Rome,
01:48and is now currently housed in the Petit Palais in Paris.
01:51This strange painting is even more puzzling because Ingra most obviously included his own
01:56likeness in it.
01:58This kind of personal involvement decisively eliminates the whims of a customer as the reason
02:03for glaring inconsistencies of this painting.
02:08The biggest inconsistency of this painting is about two people in the center of the premise,
02:12Leonardo da Vinci and King Francis I of France.
02:16While it is known that Leonardo used the hospitality of the king in his twilight years, and it is
02:21also known that King Francis enjoyed the company of an aging polymath, the full-blown friendship
02:27between those two prominent men was very unlikely.
02:31They belonged to different generations, they had different native languages, different
02:35circles of acquaintances and very different rhythm of life.
02:39While Leonardo took things slowly even when he was young, King Francis I was an energetic
02:44multitasking ruler actively involved in politics, wars, construction of palaces, culture, personal
02:51affairs, and the like.
02:53Even being in the same location at the time when Leonardo da Vinci passed away would be a
02:57big coincidence for King Francis, and finding time to actually walk to the quarters of the
03:02old artist would be yet another big if.
03:06Leonardo lived the last years of his life as a courtier, he was well cared for and personal
03:10involvement of King Francis on any level would be very unlikely.
03:15Just like any other courtier Leonardo would see King Francis in the king's parlor on suitable
03:19occasions, or when summoned.
03:22It was not a custom for the king to visit the living quarters of his courtiers for any
03:26reason.
03:28Second inconsistency of this painting is an outfit worn by the King Francis I.
03:33It is totally ridiculous to think that Francis would walk around his palace dressed in full,
03:38uniform, and with a ceremonial sword on his side.
03:42There is no doubt that the king dressed fashionably and expensively on a day-to-day basis, but as any
03:47man or woman he would have basic practicality in mind.
03:51The dress that Angra showed him to wear was more suitable for reception of foreign ambassadors,
03:56making an official portrait or some other similar important occasion.
04:00Official dress of the king for a long time was a showcase of the wealth, power and craftsmanship
04:05of the country he represented.
04:08Third inconsistency related to the people that Angra included in the painting.
04:14Because of the death of Leonardo da Vinci are well known, and he died surrounded by his
04:18students who lived with him at the time of death.
04:21The painting, in fact, does not show anyone even remotely resembling one of his students.
04:27All in all, it is a whimsical painting on its face, and it is very strange for Angra to
04:32produce one.
04:34Even with all his love of historical subjects.
04:39So it happened, a few months ago I worked on decoding or understanding of the painting,
04:43Straw Mannequin, by Francisco Goya.
04:47The painting is a part of a series of tapestry cartoons made for Charles IV, King of Spain,
04:52after Goya's appointment as court painter.
04:55The tapestries were to decorate one of the apartments in the Escorial and the subjects, chosen
05:00by the king, were to be, rural and jocose.
05:04Here is the typical modern interpretation of this painting, the Straw Mannequin, is commonly
05:09known as El Palili, which is its original Spanish name.
05:13It was painted between 1791 and 1792, and it depicts four young women tossing a doll using
05:20a blanket.
05:21You should note that the doll being tossed has a male appearance, and the women are smiling
05:26as they toss it.
05:28At the time I recognized that we are looking at large size political cartoons or caricatures.
05:34Not dwelling on over two centuries of misconceptions I was able to come up with a compelling argument
05:39about the content and purpose of, the Straw Mannequin.
05:43It is amazing how 230 years after the fact art historians still sheepishly ignore political
05:48context of this painting.
05:51After the French Revolution a secret political alliance was formed between Britain, Spain,
05:56Prussia and Austria.
05:58They are represented by female figures with nationally accented clothing.
06:03Those powers were supposed to annihilate and humiliate a revolutionary France like a straw
06:07doll on a village fair, and Spain was very proud of being a part of this alliance.
06:13That is why that painting was commissioned by the king and displayed in the royal palace.
06:18Irony is, history has proven the inspiration behind this painting to be very misguided.
06:25Revolutionary France came victorious over three out of four powers that confronted it, and
06:29aforementioned powers were radically transformed in the process.
06:33Neither Goya nor owners of the painting were especially eager to admit the humiliating development.
06:39Contemporarily, painting was also a giveaway of a secret coordination between the enemies of
06:44revolutionary France that was both suspected and politically evident.
06:49Knowing that rules of understanding of political cartoons are different from rules applicable
06:53to ordinary paintings, understanding of the painting, Francis I receives the last breaths
06:59of Leonardo da Vinci, by anger became a very manageable task.
07:04People on such paintings can represent much larger entities, like countries or organizations.
07:11By the rules, of the paintings that are political cartoons the figure of the King Francis represents
07:16the whole of France, or, at very least the government of France.
07:21It is an important distinction that will be elaborated a little later.
07:25That is why King Francis is shown dressed in his official attire.
07:29He is not in this painting just for himself.
07:33King Francis is shown, embracing, the lifeless body of Leonardo da Vinci.
07:38It is an important detail, as most descriptions mention the King, supporting, Leonardo.
07:44Leonardo is obviously dead and the whole scene can be interpreted as the government of France
07:49embracing the body of Leonardo da Vinci.
07:52That interpretation is falling short of what historically happened.
07:56Yes, the government of France paid final respects to Leonardo da Vinci who is buried in France.
08:03But the main, interaction, of this painting is not about that basic decency.
08:08The painting under consideration shows the government of France is embracing the body
08:13of works of Leonardo da Vinci.
08:17The body of works of Leonardo da Vinci is a somewhat mysterious animal for most historians
08:22and casual observers alike.
08:24Curiously, what is commonly known as a body of works of Leonardo da Vinci, while interesting,
08:30is not what the government of France showed embracing.
08:33It is known for a long time that most of the writings of Leonardo da Vinci are missing.
08:39What has become known relatively recently is that his paintings convey messages that are
08:43not described in any of his existing writings.
08:47The story told by, Last Supper, and other paintings is that Leonardo da Vinci did serious
08:52work researching the origins of Christianity.
08:55The work was started by other painters of the older generation and systematized and finalized
09:00by Leonardo da Vinci.
09:03Findings of the Verrocchio-slash-da-Vinci research project inevitably led to the conclusions that
09:08Christianity is a pack of lies based on criminality, psychological problems, and lowliest human instincts.
09:16Conclusions of Leonardo liberated the government of France from any dependency on church and
09:20Christian writings.
09:22Finding Leonardo in his final years was a small price to pay for the removal of that
09:26artificial, irrational constraint.
09:30While probably not leading to atheism outright, embracing ideas of Leonardo da Vinci meant leaving
09:35messy embarrassment of religion behind and embracing reason, regardless of possibility
09:40of the existence of God.
09:43It is now time to introduce supporting characters in this painting.
09:48One of them is notorious Pope Alexander VI Borgia , elected in 1492.
09:57Pope Alexander VI Borgia commonly considered one of the worst popes because of his personal
10:02shortcomings.
10:04He indulged in luxuries, was involved with mistresses and fathered several children while in office.
10:10On the bright side, he was a capable administrator and patron of the arts.
10:15The rule of Pope Alexander highlighted the hypocrisy and shortcomings of the Catholic Church and
10:19steered discontent that was a precursor to the appearance of Protestantism that came about
10:24in less than two decades after his reign.
10:27He is shown with his famous daughter Lucrezia Borgia .
10:33If anything, she inherited a notable interest in romantic adventures from her father.
10:39She was officially married three times and gave birth to at least ten children.
10:44In the painting she is shown as a teenager dressed as Italian nobility.
10:48Her father's hand is on her shoulder.
10:51In this particular painting Pope Alexander VI Borgia stands for all of Catholicism.
10:58It is not difficult to recognize another personage in this painting.
11:03Written by the Pope Alexander VI Borgia is none other than Martin Luther .
11:11Luther was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1507 and there is no doubt that excesses of
11:15the Borgia papacy influenced his rejection of Catholicism.
11:20While offering something different, newly invented Protestantism was based on the same rotten core
11:24as other flavors of Christianity that came before.
11:28As an approach to life, it was a distinction without a difference.
11:33The wars, the bloodshed that followed is especially disheartening because in, or about 1506 a pivotal
11:39event in human history changed everything.
11:42While everything stayed the same, Felice de la Rovire confronted her father, Pope Julius II
11:47and the church.
11:49It was suspected for some time that the end of Christianity as a religion came when Felice
11:53de la Rovire, a woman devoted to intellectual resistance, shared newly systematized knowledge
11:59with her father, Pope Julius II.
12:02This theory was bound to remain a speculation if not for the surprising report of the contemporary.
12:08An enigmatic painting by Andrea Montaigne is a snapshot of historical exchange.
12:14Her bravery was for ages as she did not know if she would come out alive.
12:19Humanity became a conspiracy, and humanity entered the age of Felice.
12:24It is not a stretch to assume that her own research was based on conclusions made by Leonardo
12:29da Vinci and unlimited access to papal archives.
12:33Her deeds and memory are only now making a comeback, but painters and sculptors made her
12:38into one of the most depicted humans among those whose likeness is known.
12:42For five centuries when artists agreed with her conclusions and wished to express admiration
12:47of her deeds they painted or sculpted her likeness.
12:51Without disclosing who it is they painted.
12:55From Venice of Urbino, in 16th century to winged scholar, in 21st century painters immortalized
13:01Felice, Raphael's girlfriend and baby mama.
13:05She created a precedent of confronting Christianity and living to talk about it.
13:10She inspired many artists in person and scores more as a memory.
13:15She is suspected to be a, leader, by Leonardo da Vinci, and it is a distinct possibility that
13:20she influenced his decision to approach King Francis I with his findings.
13:25While the talents of Leonardo were well known and admiration of King Francis I is easy to
13:30understand, the generosity of the King is much harder to explain.
13:35Whole choreography of the move to France is poorly understood and was hard to explain until
13:40now.
13:41Some historians think that Leonardo was in a bad shape financially, but that would not
13:46explain why the King decided to splurge.
13:49In the norms or the royal court, it was customary to invite a celebrity artist, award him profitable
13:55commissions and see where it goes.
13:58But Leonardo was old, suffered a stroke and could no longer paint.
14:02What Leonardo did have is his research about Christianity that would help France to embark on the new era,
14:08without need to deal with church meddling and Christian nonsense.
14:12Yet there is another possible motive for Leonardo's move to France that was never discussed until now.
14:18On the painting of a winged scholar there is a paw of the beast still gripping the globe even in 21st century.
14:25Felice defeated that beast five centuries ago but the grip of the beast is still there.
14:31One can only imagine the power of that grip in 16th century.
14:35The very possible motive that brought Leonardo to France was fear for his life.
14:41Felice de la Rovire was also a great destroyer.
14:45She is looking great for any 130-year-old.
14:49She confronted the church and blew the cover of the intellectual resistance.
14:54What she did needed to be done but it cost many lives of artists who worked for the resistance.
14:59Raphael and Caravaggio, died in 1610, right before this painting was made, most likely among them.
15:07Similar posture of the female figure to Raphael's sketch is a leading hint to this identification.
15:13The seashells by her feet are probably standing for the destroyed scrolls.
15:18She is standing on one.
15:20Among the artists close to Leonardo Salai would pay the ultimate price.
15:25They made it look like a duel on crossbows.
15:28Caravaggio was tough and a duel would not work on him.
15:32Arsenic did, just like on Raphael.
15:37As for the painting in question, its basic meaning is pretty clear.
15:41As pointed out by painter Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres himself, France rejected both Catholicism
15:47and Reformation and Embraced Reason based on the conclusions of Leonardo da Vinci.
15:52The date this painting was made is 1818, which is coincidentally about 300 years since the
15:58death of a famous polymath who passed away in 1519.
16:03The year 1519 was probably a year when King Francis I transferred da Vinci papers into the
16:09custody of French security services.
16:12It would be risky to do it before Leonardo's passing.
16:16That way dating of the painting is aligned with the date when knowledge became custody
16:19of France three centuries prior.
16:22The year 1818 is also right before the 300th anniversary of Leonardo's death.
16:29That makes this painting in memoriam painting for Leonardo.
16:33As such, the painting contains clues related to his death.
16:37The red canopy of the bed is very prominent, and by the rules of in memoriam paintings might
16:42be a pointer to murder or execution, not the death from natural causes.
16:47I, however, did not find sufficient reasons to consider the death of Leonardo a foul play.
16:55There are two people in the painting that were important in the life of Leonardo.
16:59One of them is Felice, who else?
17:02She is shown in somber contemplation remembering an old friend.
17:07Another one is Michelangelo, artistic rival who now left to continue his fight in his art
17:12without looking back at Leonardo.
17:14From what we know Michelangelo shared ideas of Leonardo about Christianity, even so his
17:19art shows much more straightforward, more cynical approaches and interpretations.
17:25Raphael and Felice compared Michelangelo to Diogenes in their epic tell-all, School of Athens.
17:33There are few important clues in the painting that I did not touch yet or that need to be
17:37re-evaluated.
17:39The red canopy over the bed is not an allusion to murder.
17:43It is the same color and tone as the attire of the Pope Alexander VI Borgia.
17:48It is a symbol or sign that historical transfer of knowledge happened under the all-encompassing
17:53cover of European Christendom.
17:56The chair that is by the bed is much too opulent for the modest quarters of a visiting artisan.
18:01It is a real royal throne, the seat of the king.
18:05The very authority of the king was based on Christian concepts.
18:09The chair is upholstered in the same tone of red as the bed and the dress of the Pope.
18:14The two persons, a richly dressed girl and a priest, seeing each other eye to eye, represent
18:20two pillars of French monarchy, Christian nobility and clergy.
18:25Painter underscored their significance as someone living after the French Revolution and knowing
18:29that those estates, demographics, would be behind the French monarchy to the very end.
18:35All those clues purported to explain why findings of Leonardo da Vinci would become a state secret
18:41and would remain a state secret for centuries, instead of becoming a public knowledge.
18:46The French government was able to use the knowledge but would not dare to undermine its
18:50own standing and authority.
18:52Interestingly, figures of Felice, standing for deism or atheism, and Martin Luther, standing
18:59for reformation, depicted outside of the all-encompassing colored red Catholic realm.
19:04The red headdress of Felice could possibly signify that mindful of the power of the church she
19:09became silent as she is shown.
19:12It did not help, she still lost Raphael in 1520.
19:16By the way, it's been over 500 years.
19:20Whoever makes decisions in the French government, it is time to release da Vinci files.
19:26We now know what is in them, but it would be fun to compare details.
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