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 In 1516, aged 64, Leonardo da Vinci left Italy to enter the
service of King Francis I of France. Many of his masterpieces -
St. John the Baptist, the Mona Lisa - followed him and were sold
to the French monarch, forming a legacy now exhibited at the
Louvre museum in Paris.
Amid diplomatic tensions between Rome and Paris, his legacy has
become contentious, with Italy's Culture undersecretary Lucia
Borgonzoni in November telling Italian media she wanted to
renegotiate the planned lending of his works to the Louvre for
an anniversary exhibition, because "the French cannot have it
all".
It is unclear, for example, whether the iconic drawing of the "Vitruvian
Man" will eventually leave Venice to join the Louvre for the
display.
But on Thursday, in Amboise, French President Emmanuel Macron
and Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella will seek to ease
strains between the two normally close allies that have grown
more acute since mid-2018, mostly over migration policy.
They will gather at Leonardo's tomb, a modest grave in a chapel
of Amboise castle containing his presumed remains, and will pay
a visit to his house nearby, the Clos Luce, where he died on May
2nd, 1519.
"It's an extremely solemn gesture, showing that the two
countries have this shared memory, this figure, a culture that
binds our two countries," the director of Amboise castle
Jean-Louis Sureau told Reuters in an interview.
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Da Vinci 's arrival in France was no accident, because King Francis
I wanted him to join the Court to participate in its international
influence and refinement, Sureau said.
"Leonardo da Vinci was unquestionably born in Italy, he's
Florentine, but beyond that, he led a career at the service of
several powerful men. This career, and his life, end here, in
France," Sureau added.
During his three years in France, da Vinci focused on perfecting
unfinished masterpieces, drawing and scientific writing, but also
took part in organizing lavish parties for the King of France.
"This universal man, who, to be clear, was first and foremost
Italian, can also be seen as the symbol of a European culture, built
beyond traditional divisions," Catherine Simon Marion, delegate
general of the Clos Luce, said.
(Additional reporting by Antony Paone, Editing by John Irish and
William Maclean)
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