Leonardo da Vinci Project: Historians find 14 living male descendants of famous painter

A decade-long study into Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci's DNA claims to have found 14 of his living male descendants. The detailed study hopes to uncover the mystery of his genius, who never had his own children. The latest study titled the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project argued that his youngest relative is aged one. 

The 2016 initiative by art historians Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato had disclosed 35 alleged descendants of the famous painter- both male and female. But they were mostly indirect descendants, including late film director Franco Zeffirelli.

The latest findings by Vezzosi and Sabato documents the continuous male line from Da Vinci's grandfather, who was born in 1331, to the 14 living descendants today. Spanning over 690 years, the family tree includes 21 generations, including five family branches. 

“They were not people who could give us useful information on Leonardo’s DNA and in particular on the Y-chromosome,” Vezzosi said in the study published in the Human Evolution journal .

The discovery fills gaps and fixes flaws in the prior genealogical investigation into Da Vinci's family while offering discoveries and family tree updates.

Of the living descendants of da Vinci, Vezzosi said, “They are aged between one and 85, they don’t live right in Vinci but in neighbouring municipalities as far as Versilia (on the Tuscan coast) and they have ordinary jobs like a clerk, a surveyor, an artisan.”

The Y chromosome that is passed from father to son is known to remain almost intact through 25 generations. Comparing the Y chromosome of living male descendants with that of their forefathers in ancient and modern burial sites could help researchers to verify the unbroken family line and certify the famous painter's own Y-chromosome marker.

Once da Vinci's DNA is confirmed, the researchers can potentially probe the reasons behind his genius, his physical prowess, premature ageing, his geographical origins and information about his parents.

About Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian genius of the High Renaissance. He was a painter, engineer, draughtsman, scientist, theorist, architect and sculptor. He is regarded as one of the greatest painters in the history of art. Some of his famous paintings are The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man, Salvator Mundi, Virgin of the Rocks, among others.

The famous painter died aged 67 in Chateau du Clos Luce, France. He was buried in the chapel of Saint-Florentin, but this was destroyed during French Revolution. Bones were removed from the site and buried in the castle's smaller chapel, Saint-Hubert, but it is yet to confirm they are da Vinci's remains.