This theme has been one that has caught my attention for the past 15 years or so. We all know that Leonardo da Vinci was an incredible genius and is known as The Renaissance Man. The inventions in his notebooks were way ahead of his time. Did young Leonardo receive special training in Florence from the likes of Ficino, Plethon, and Argyropoulos? Were the initiations of the Cathars still active in Florence despite their genocide via the Albigensian Crusade and the Dominican-led Inquisition? What was taught at the Plato Academy at Careggi that so inspired Florentine artists to depict scenes from Greek mythology? My lecture on this subject can be found here.
I was given a book on this subject a couple years ago but it has waited until this month for me to begin reading it. OMG – anyone interested in this subject should read it. While I don’t agree with all of the conclusions reached, the research, investigation, and academic thoroughness are top notch. The book is The Two Children by David Ovason, Century press in London, ISBN 0 7126 84921. Wow, I wish I had read this 15 years ago! Of course, it was only published in 2001.