How many paintings did Leonardo da Vinci create?

There are generally considered to be fewer than 20 surviving paintings universally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

What is Leonardo da Vinci's most famous invention?

His most famous invention designs include the Aerial Screw (Helicopter), the Armored Tank, and the Ornithopter (Flying Machine).

Where are Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks located?

His notebooks (Codices) are scattered globally. The largest collection, Codex Atlanticus, is in Milan. The Codex Leicester is owned by Bill Gates.

Leonardo da Vinci: Paintings, Inventions & Codices Archive

Structured Index • Entity-Aligned

Leonardo da Vinci: Paintings, Inventions & Codices

Leonardo da Vinci Line engraving by Muntadher Saleh

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian Renaissance polymath whose work connects art, engineering, anatomy, and observation. This page is a structured archive for quick reference, study, and discovery of his complete works.

This archive focuses on output: major artworks, notable machine concepts, and the best-known notebook collections (codices). It is written as a reference hub—clear sections, short paragraphs, and practical tables by Leonardo Da Vinci.

1. Featured Snippet Answer

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance artist and investigator known for masterworks like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and for notebooks that document experiments, sketches, and studies in mechanics, anatomy, and nature.

Portrait and Visual Reference

Leonardo da Vinci self portrait sketch in red chalk — The famous “Turin Self-Portrait” in red chalk, circa 1512.

2. Timeline

Early Formation

Vinci → Florence

Early training develops drawing discipline, observation habits, and workshop skills that shaped later experimentation.

Milan Years

Engineering + Art

Work expands across architecture, mechanics, and large projects, reflecting a blend of art and applied design thinking.

Later Period

Refinement + Notes

Mature work includes refinement of major pieces and continued notebook production across multiple disciplines.

3. Paintings (Structured Table)

The number of widely attributed paintings is limited. This table lists famous examples, approximate dates, and commonly cited locations for quick reference.

Explore Deeper: View the comprehensive Leonardo da Vinci Painting List for detailed analysis and high-resolution scans of every work.

Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci high resolution — The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), 1503–1519, currently housed in the Louvre Museum.

Artwork Title	Date	Commonly Cited Location
The Baptism of Christ	1472–1475	Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The Annunciation	1472–1475	Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Ginevra de' Benci	1474–1478	National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The Last Supper	1495–1498	Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
Mona Lisa	1503–1519	The Louvre, Paris
Salvator Mundi	c. 1500	Private ownership

4. Inventions & Machines

Many designs are conceptual studies rather than finished devices. They are valuable because they show mechanical reasoning, observation, and early systems thinking.

The Aerial Screw

Flight / Aeronautics

Often discussed as an early lift-by-rotation exploration based on a rotating screw-like surface.

Armored Vehicle Concept

Military / Engineering

A protected mobility concept designed for defensive advantage and controlled movement in conflict settings.

Mechanical Automaton

Mechanics / Motion

Pulleys and linkages demonstrate interest in controlled motion and repeatable mechanical sequences.

Leonardo da Vinci aerial screw helicopter sketch — Manuscript B, f. 83 v. The “Aerial Screw” design.

5. Codices (Notebooks)

The notebooks preserve studies across anatomy, optics, mechanics, and natural observation. Many pages are written in mirror writing and include dense diagramming.

Codex Atlanticus: large compilation associated with Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Milan).
Codex Leicester: scientific notes on water and geology; privately owned.
Flight of Birds: notes on flight mechanics associated with Turin.

Vitruvian Man drawing by Leonardo da Vinci — The Vitruvian Man (c. 1490), a study of ideal human proportions.

6. FAQ

Where can I find a reliable list of paintings?

Museum catalogues and major reference works are the best anchors for lists, dates, and institutional history.

Did he build working machines?

Many designs are conceptual studies. Their importance is often in mechanical reasoning and documentation rather than finished production.