Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
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Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
1–10 of 56 posts
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#2be happy you live in a time where the gatekeepers are crumbling all over, so you can just focus on your craft, whoever and wherever you are, without having to suck up to others
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#3Would love to see a citation to such letter. Does anyone knows where to find a scan of the original?
I have seen that letter many times around the Net, but never a link to anything that could prove the veracity of it.
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#4He didn't actually complete very much while he was there, though (this was a recurring problem for him which only got worse in later life) -- his contribution over sixteen years was a couple of paintings [including, it must be said, the famous Last Supper, which would rapidly deteriorate after completion] and assistance with various pageants.
His one attempt at something lasting and challenging, a giant bronze statue of his employer's father on a horse, was delayed many times, lying unfinished for years, and finally put to rest by the French invasion. The seventy tons of bronze set aside for it were appropriated for cannons, and the clay model was used as target practice by the victorious French.
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#5Would love to see a citation to such letter. Does anyone knows where to find a scan of the original? I have seen that letter many times around the Net, but never a link to anything that could prove the veracity of it.
A scan of what is claimed to be the original letter is here: http://gizmodo.com/5460442/leonardo-da-vincis-resume-explain...
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#6Brilliant. Notice that he doesn't dwell on his "qualifications" or his accolades, the letter is basically:
1. I know as you do that there are many who claim to be able to bring you new stuff, but as we both know, they are almost all just rebranding the same old stuff we already have
2. I can do the following important things for you:
a.
b.
c.
...
3. If you are skeptical of my seemingly optimistic claims, I'd be happy to come and show you test versions which I'm sure will convince you of their worth.
I wonder what a modern tech version of this letter would look like?
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#7Would love to see a citation to such letter. Does anyone knows where to find a scan of the original? I have seen that letter many times around the Net, but never a link to anything that could prove the veracity of it.
I think this one:
http://www.theladders.com/career-newsletters/leonardo-da-vin...
(click on the image it's high resolution)
one of the sites citing the original text and the modern Italian "translation" http://www.scudit.net/mdcurriculum_leo.htm
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#8He didn't actually complete very much while he was there, though (this was a recurring problem for him which only got worse in later life) -- his contribution over sixteen years was a couple of paintings [including, it must be said, the famous Last Supper, which would rapidly deteriorate after completion] and assistance with various pageants. His one attempt at something lasting and challenging, a giant bronze statue…
Had the Duke administered the 1% HR personality test it would surely weed out this Da Vinci guy.
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#9People interested in this might also like his self-promoting letter to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a little later in life: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/22/leonardos...
Best link I could find at short notice, unfortunately, the letter excerpt is two paragraphs in.
Re: Letter from Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan applying for a position
#10He didn't actually complete very much while he was there, though (this was a recurring problem for him which only got worse in later life) -- his contribution over sixteen years was a couple of paintings [including, it must be said, the famous Last Supper, which would rapidly deteriorate after completion] and assistance with various pageants. His one attempt at something lasting and challenging, a giant bronze statue…
So lying on your CV was not unheard back then.