A life size marble statue of Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci was created by by Luigi Pampaloni and placed in a niche in the colonnade of the Uffizi Gallery. The statues were added to the empty niches, originally created by Giorgio Vasari. The statues were funded by a public subscription program that began in 1834.
Leonardo da Vinci is depicted with a a long beard, characteristic beret hat, and sandals. He is wearing knee-length tunic tied with a belt around his waist with an ankle-length cape over his shoulders that covers his right side. Under his left arm he is carrying a square tablet or canvas. His right hand protrudes from his cape and reaches over towards his left shoulder.
The plinth is inscribed: LEONARDO DA VINCI
Leonardo was the quintessential Renaissance man. He excelled as a painter, sculptor, engineer, inventor, scientist and much more. Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He received an informal education in Latin, geometry and mathematics; but little is known of his childhood.
His professional life began in 1466, at the age of fourteen, when he was apprenticed to the artist Andrea di Cione, (a. k.a. Verrocchio). Leonardo developed into a master artist. Some of his best known paintings are the Mona Lisa, The Adoration of the Magi, Virgin of the Rocks, and the Last Supper. To enhances his ability to paint, Leonardo studied anatomy. He sketched many studies of horses and his "Vitruvian Man" has become a cultural icon.
Leonardo excelled as an engineer and inventor. Leonardo's designed many inventions including: musical instruments, a mechanical knight, hydraulic pumps, reversible crank mechanisms, finned mortar shells, a steam cannon, a parachute, and several flying machines including a helicopter.
Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, a chateau in Amboise, France on May 2, 1519.