Sublime

Cesare Borgia was the son of the Spanish-Italian cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, soon to become Pope Alexander VI, who vies for the hotly contested title of most libertine Renaissance pope. “He had in the fullest measure all the vices of the flesh and of the spirit,” the pope’s contemporary Francesco Guicciardini wrote. He was the first pope to recognize

Unlike the usual depictions of the Leda myth, Leonardo’s is not about sex but birth.2 These themes of generational and natural renewal apparently resonated with him now that he was in his mid-fifties, with no heirs. Around the time he began to paint Leda, he adopted Francesco Melzi, who painted the Leda copy shown as figure 81, to be his surrogate

Leonardo became known in Milan not only for his talents but also for his good looks, muscular build, and gentle personal style. “He was a man of outstanding beauty and infinite grace,” Vasari said of him. “He was striking and handsome, and his great presence brought comfort to the most troubled soul.”