Michel de Gast was Captain of the famous Forty-Five bodyguards of Henry III.

The Leonardo da Vinci Painter and Architect Galleries at Château du Clos Lucé, the latest initiative in the Saint Bris mission to keep the memory of the Master alive and well are an absolute triumph. Very impressive. Awesome in fact. They by far exceed expectations.

May 2nd marks the anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise.

To mark the fifth centenary of Leonardo’s death in 1519, the Vatican loaned it to the Château to be exhibited to the public. This was the first time in 500 years it had been seen outside the Vatican and Italian Museums.

Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years not in his own country, Italy, but in France. They were very happy years, the happiest of his life.

This image needs no introduction. It’s the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus sitting on her mother’s lap in a very awkward position that’s for sure. It may be a trick of the light but it looks as if Saint Anne’s head was added later, it seems somehow detached as if she is a figment of Mary’s imagination or a ghost but if art is anything, it’s subjective.