Scientists are closer than ever to reconstructing Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA through a 30-year genealogical study, descendant testing, and excavated tomb remains — a breakthrough that could reveal secrets of his health, genius, and authentic works.
For more than 500 years, Leonardo da Vinci has remained the Renaissance’s most enigmatic figure — a painter, scientist, engineer, and dreamer whose genius seemed almost otherworldly. Yet, for all the masterpieces he left behind, one thing about Leonardo has remained elusive: his biology. What made him see differently? Did his health, his genetics, his very DNA, shape the spark of his creativity?
Now, thanks to an ambitious international collaboration, scientists are closer than ever to answering those questions. The Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project is on the brink of reconstructing the genetic profile of the man behind the Mona Lisa. If successful, this endeavour could transform our understanding of Leonardo’s life, health, and even confirm the authenticity of his works.
A Quest Rooted in Lineage
The journey to Leonardo’s DNA began not in a laboratory but in archives and dusty family registries. For three decades, scholars Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato of the Leonardo Da Vinci Heritage Association in Vinci have been piecing together an extraordinary family tree. Their recently published book, "Genia Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo's DNA," documents the Da Vinci lineage all the way back to 1331, across 21 generations and more than 400 individuals.
Vezzosi and Sabato’s painstaking work led to the identification of 15 direct male-line descendants linked to Leonardo’s father and half-brother. These men became the crucial bridge between past and present.
Tracing the Y Chromosome
At the University of Florence, geneticist David Caramelli and forensic anthropologist Elena Pilli tested six of these male descendants. They discovered that fragments of their Y chromosome — passed almost unchanged from father to son — matched. This finding confirmed the genetic continuity of the Da Vinci line for at least 15 generations.
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The next step? Compare this living DNA to the remains found in a Da Vinci family tomb recently uncovered in the Church of Santa Croce in Vinci. Anthropologists Alessandro Riga and Luca Bachechi have excavated bone fragments believed to belong to Leonardo’s grandfather Antonio, his uncle Francesco, and several half-brothers. Preliminary analysis has already identified one male specimen.
“Further detailed analyses are necessary to determine whether the DNA extracted is sufficiently preserved,” explains Caramelli. “Based on the results, we can proceed with analysis of Y chromosome fragments for comparison with current descendants.”
If the genetic markers align, it will not only confirm centuries of genealogical work but also bring Leonardo’s DNA tantalizingly within reach.
What Leonardo’s DNA Could Reveal
The scientific ambitions of the project stretch far beyond ancestry charts. As Jesse H. Ausubel of The Rockefeller University, director of the project, puts it:
“Even a tiny fingerprint on a page could contain cells to sequence. 21st-century biology is moving the boundary between the unknowable and the unknown. Soon we may gain information about Leonardo and other historical figures once believed lost forever.”
By sequencing fragments of DNA, scientists hope to uncover:
- Whether Leonardo’s famed visual acuity had biological roots.
- Clues about his health, diet, and possible medical conditions.
- Insights into left-handedness and other traits that shaped his genius.
- The potential to verify the authenticity of disputed works, if DNA is found on manuscripts or sketches.
“This is not just about the author of the world’s most famous painting,” Ausubel says. “It’s a challenge to redefine the limits of historical knowledge and cultural heritage.”
Rediscovering the Man Behind the Myth
The project has also reanimated Leonardo’s world. Vezzosi and Sabato’s genealogical deep dive uncovered seven Da Vinci family homes in Vinci, along with two properties Leonardo himself inherited.
His family emerges as far more complex than legend suggests. His grandfather Antonio, long dismissed as a farmer, was in fact a merchant traveling between Catalonia and Morocco. Meanwhile, his mother Caterina may have been a slave in the household of a wealthy banker, Vanni di Niccolo di ser Vanni. Records hint at her connection to Leonardo’s father, the young notary Ser Piero, through wills and donation documents beginning in 1449.
By stripping away the romance, the research has given Leonardo’s family new depth — a reminder that even the greatest genius was shaped by circumstance and ancestry.
A Dragon on the Fireplace
Perhaps the most surprising revelation isn’t genetic at all. On a fireplace mantle in Vinci, a large, timeworn charcoal drawing has been uncovered. It depicts a fantastical beast with a spiral horn, flaming tongue, membranous wings, and a serpentine tail.
Dubbed the “Unicorn Dragon”, the sketch bears striking similarities to Leonardo’s later studies of birds and bats. Experts including Roberta Barsanti, Director of the Leonardian Museum, and Vinci’s Mayor Daniele Vanni, support the hypothesis of Leonardo’s authorship. Plans for restoration and scientific analysis are already underway.
Leonardo and Epigenetics
Intriguingly, the book also revisits Leonardo’s own musings on heredity. In his notes, he speculated on how diet, blood, and parental behavior might shape offspring. Today, we call this epigenetics.
“Leonardo questioned the origins of human life not only biologically: in his studies on generation, conception becomes a complex act where nature, emotion, and fate intertwine — anticipating themes now central to the genetics-epigenetics debate,” explains Sabato.
Towards a Genetic Portrait
The project is far from complete, but the possibilities are breathtaking. Could Leonardo’s DNA one day help us reconstruct his appearance with scientific precision? Could it reveal hidden vulnerabilities or health issues that influenced his art?
What is certain is that Vinci, the small Tuscan town that gave the world an illegitimate boy named Leonardo, is now once again at the heart of a global rediscovery.
For the townspeople, hearing their ancestor’s “genetic voice” echo through time is both a source of pride and a reminder that even the greatest mind in history was, in the end, human.
“Our goal in reconstructing the Da Vinci family's lineage up to the present day, while also preserving and valuing the places connected to Leonardo, is to enable scientific research on his DNA,” says Vezzosi. “Through the recovery of Leonardo's DNA, we hope to understand the biological roots of his extraordinary visual acuity, creativity, and possibly even aspects of his health and causes of death.”
Five centuries later, the mystery of Leonardo da Vinci is far from solved — but perhaps, finally, we are close to hearing what his DNA has to say.
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