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Arts & Communication Leonardo from Caffa in Crimea

and writings dated 1478 (Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle the significance of the Ottoman region, specifically Caffa
Stampe, Uffizi 446E), a drawing of a hanged man dressed as on the Black Sea. This region was first given prominence
a Turk from 1479 (Bonnat Museum, Bayonne, France), and in Leonardo research only at the end of the 20 century
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a letter written in Turkish dated to circa 1502, recovered with the introduction of slave mother theories. These
by a researcher from the Topkapi Archives in Istanbul in theories attempt to explain the exotic aspects of the Italian
1952. The article aims to challenge the attribution of these Notebooks, discovered at the end of the 19 century, by
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documents and thereby identify an alternative author. It inferring that Tuscan painter Leonardo da Vinci had an
indicates that the man responsible could not have been Eastern slave mother. Although the conclusion to this
an artist born and raised in the Tuscan countryside. The research does not support the importance of a slave mother,
style and content of these documents do not match the Caffa becomes central to reinterpreting the documents.
paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. Besides, Italian researchers
have not been able to identify an exact position in Tuscany 2. Slave mother theories and the
in the drawing 8P. By considering alternative explanations, significance of Caffa to the Notebooks
this article proposes one solution. The documents could
have been created by another Leonardo associated with It is well-known that the painter Leonardo da Vinci is one
the East, specifically the Genoese-controlled area of of the most celebrated Italian painters in history. However,
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Caffa on the Black Sea, which in 1475 became part of the researchers in the late 19 century, such as the German art
Ottoman Empire. The discoveries in this article highlight historian Jean Paul Richter, noted Eastern influences in the
the need to expand our understanding of Renaissance Notebooks. This observation uncovered unexpected clues
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art history beyond the Western European narrative. about the writer’s potential Eastern background. Therefore,
The research demonstrates how a closed mindset in art some scholars have raised questions about the painter’s
historical research has prevented looking outside Italy origins, suggesting that his mother might have been an
to resolve the many dilemmas and mysteries plaguing Eastern slave. These slave mother theories emerged as an
the biography of the Tuscan painter Leonardo da Vinci. attempt to challenge the traditional view of Leonardo da
Jakubowska and Radomska 1,p.3 point to Piotrowski, who Vinci as a purely Tuscan artist. The idea of a slave mother
developed “methodological ideas around the necessity of hailing from Turkey or China may seem far-fetched, but it
challenging the hierarchal paradigm of art history writing.” is worth considering the evidence. The theory of an Eastern
The article gives prominence to other world narratives slave mother is an attempt to explain how the thinking in
using a horizontal approach following Piotrowski’s “call the Notebooks was influenced by an exotic heritage. While
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to relativize and localize the Western narrative, instead no 16 -century biographies of Leonardo mention the East
of perceiving it as universal …” 1,p.3 The documents under or a slave mother, this does not necessarily disprove the
discussion can be better situated in an environment that theory. Instead, it is up to us to consider the possibility
includes Genoese and Ottoman influences. that the origins of these Notebooks were more complex
than previously thought. By exploring the idea of Leonardo
The four documents cited are discussed individually in da Vinci’s potential Eastern heritage, researchers gained a
Section 3. These discussions relate specifically to over 7000 greater appreciation for the diverse cultural influences that
pages of technical writings and designs, now collectively shaped the writings and designs. Rather than dismissing this
the Notebooks attributed to the Tuscan painter Leonardo theory outright, we should explore it with an open mind and
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da Vinci since the mid-16 century. These Notebooks are consider how it might broaden our knowledge. Therefore,
scattered in manuscripts and codices in world museums we must look beyond local geography to truly understand
and private collections. Although these Notebooks are these iconic Notebooks and associated documents.
predominantly scientific, Western art historians historically
control the narrative due to the artist’s prevailing fame as It was through the slave mother theories that the Black
a painter. Also presented in Section 3 is a document from Sea, particularly the port of Caffa, came to prominence
the same period as the first three documents (late 1470s), in Leonardo research. Some researchers suggested that
discovered in Florence’s state archives in the early 1990s. Leonardo’s mother may have been a Chinese slave who
This document refers to the banishment from Florence was likely trafficked through Caffa. Other recent attempts
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around 1477 of an artist, Paulo di Leonardo da Vinci. have been made to find documents confirming her birth in
Together with a document discovered more recently in Circassia and to invent a prince as her father to explain her
Bologna archives, this is widely considered a homonymy. possible influence on Leonardo’s education. These scholars
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The research explores the origins of the confusion suggest Leonardo’s origins could be traced back to the Black
between the different Leonardos. Before delving into an Sea region, including the Ottoman Empire. However, one
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extensive study of the documents, this article introduces should not prioritize regions. Vezzosi and Sabato 6,p.24-5 point

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 2 doi: 10.36922/ac.2642