Leonardo da Vinci was a person.
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( [ leoˈnardo di ˌsɛr ˈpjɛːro da ( v ) ˈvintʃi ] ; 15 April 14522 May 1519 ) , more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo , was an Italian polymath whose areas of interest included invention , painting , sculpting , architecture , science , music , mathematics , engineering , literature , anatomy , geology , astronomy , botany , writing , history , and cartography . He has been variously called the father of palaeontology , ichnology , and architecture , and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time . Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute , helicopter and tank , he epitomised the Renaissance humanist ideal . There are a number of other works that have also been variously attributed to Leonardo .