A pair of researchers in Italy examined the family tree of polymath Leonardo da Vinci and found 14 male descendants still alive. The work is a synthesis of decades of research, filling in gaps in da Vinci’s family and correcting errors in previous investigations, Write authors in “Human Evolution” magazine. According to their own statements, da Vinci experts Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnez Sabato documented a total of 21 generations.
For the study, Vezzosi and Sabato also interviewed the surviving descendants of the Italian painter, architect and engineer. Some of them have already retired and sometimes work as office clerks, steel workers and craftsmen.
To the best of their knowledge, the researchers worked on families with multiple branches in the family tree. In total, the family history covers about 690 years. For genealogy, experts examine the male line starting with Leonardo’s ancestor Michel, who was born in the 13th century through his father Piero Frosino until 1452 and onwards.
Reportedly, four family ties can also be traced to documents that began with Leonardo da Vinci’s brother Domenico. According to research, Leonardo da Vinci had at least 22 half-brothers, but no children. (dam)
