January 12, 2003
It’s Leonardo, not “Da Vinci”
OK, time for our first class of How to Sound Like An Art Historian 101.
Often as not, the average English-speaker (especially if he is American) will refer to Leonardo da Vinci as “Da Vinci”. Though this may be intended as a mark of respect – calling such an eminence by his first name might seem a bit presumptuous – there is a bit of a problem in that “da Vinci” isn’t a last name, and really isn’t a name at all: it simply means “from Vinci” (Vinci is the town near Florence where Leonardo was born). Which is why his fellow Italians refer to him informally as “Leonardo” – as do art historians.
In general, this same rule applies for Renaissance artists even if they did have family names of the modern sort. Michelangelo is called Michelangelo, not Buonarroti; Raphael is called Raphael, not Sanzio. Lorenzo Ghiberti, however, is known by his family name, as is Filippo Brunelleschi – perhaps because their given names were simply too common to stand alone without causing confusion.
Some later Italian artists became known by nicknames based on their place of origin, analogous to “Tex” or “Frenchy”: for instance Correggio (Antonio Allegri), Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Mazzola), and Veronese (Paolo Caliari). This was never the case with Leonardo, however – and if it had been, he would have been known as “Vinci” (or perhaps ''Vincese"), not “da Vinci”.
Posted by David on January 12, 2003 9:56 PM
Great article, though to me it hardly matters what we call whether it's Leonardo....Da Vinci....Leonardo Da Vinci.....All that concerns me is the legacy of incredible work that he's left behind.
"Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous." - Leonardo Da Vinci
Posted by: Lucy on November 14, 2003 11:34 AM
Come to think about it, I actually love Vincese!
"Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation.....even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." - Leonardo da Vinci
Posted by: Lucy on November 14, 2003 11:36 AM
Thanks for the art history lesson :)
"All that concerns me is the legacy of the incredible work he's left behind"
Yes Leonardo is up there alongside Michaelangelo as one of the greatest artists of the renaissance period. Whether it be sketching, painting or inventing he was a master of all trades jack of none.
Posted by: Tom on December 9, 2003 12:51 PM
Interesting bit of trivia. Unfortunately, I don't think Leonardo will ever escape the reference, "da vinci." But it is true that he was truly a master of all trades, including sculpting, painting, and engineering, among others. If referring to Leonardo by his full first name communicates respect, then count me in.
Posted by: adam on October 10, 2004 7:00 PM
My Italian Renaissance teacher would always correct me every time I would refer to him as "Da Vinci."
I would look at her for a second and stare(completely having lost my train of thought) say "Um, yeah.." and then try to remember what I was trying to say...
Truly one of life's most annoying nuances to art history.
Why does it REALLY matter? It isn't like the man is coming back to haunt us if we use his surname.
Posted by: Circe on January 24, 2007 1:08 PM
Why does it matter?
One might think of accuracy here as a mark of respect, signifying an appreciation of language, history, and nuance.
In most contexts, it doesn't matter; but in some, it does -- which is why the post begins, "OK, time for our first class of How to Sound Like An Art Historian 101." If you want to establish your cred with an art historian (or an historian, or an Italian), you don't say "Da Vinci".
Parallel example: "nucular" for "nuclear".
Posted by: David on January 26, 2007 1:19 PM
I like this. My art history professor, whose area of expertise is the Italian Renaissance (and I don't use the word "expertise" lightly, she's a wealth of knowledge), called him "Leonardo," when I was used to referring to him as "Da Vinci." (I soon learned what Da Vinci means.)
I appreciated that she was never particular about pronunciation, or anything like that, with the students. It seems to me like she felt that our interest in the art was more important than our knowledge of the intricacies of Italian pronunciation or the artist's true name.
It does make sense that some prefer you call him Leonardo, but, like some of the posts have said, his work was so amazing, I don't think anyone will be confused if you say "Da Vinci." Not to undermine the importance of Vinci, but it seems like there's been no one in history from Vinci that even holds a candle to the achievements of Leonardo.
Posted by: Rachel on September 5, 2007 1:32 AM
P.S. I'm aiming to be an art historian. I hope I'm not looked down upon if I say "Da Vinci." I think it might be habit, now, since that's how I initially learned to refer to him... [shrug]
Posted by: rachel on September 5, 2007 1:36 AM
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