FLORENCE, Italy: It is a mystery that has intrigued and confounded scholars for centuries: Who, exactly, was Leonardo da Vinci’s mother?
A few facts are known. Her name was Caterina, and sometime in 1451 she had a relationship with notary Piero da Vinci, and gave birth on April 15, 1452, to a son who was born out of wedlock and baptised Leonardo. A memorial tablet, with a record of the artist’s birth, is in the Church of Santa Croce in the town of Vinci, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) from Florence, where the baptism most likely took place.
