- Amid all the causes of the destruction of human
property, it seems to me that rivers hold the foremost place on
account of their excessive and violent inundations....
Leonardo da Vinci
Masters begins with an introduction to the lives of Leonardo and Niccolò and explores the possible friendship that may have evolved as early as 1502 in the court of Cesare Borgia. He also offers a valuable look at the complicated setting of Florence during the Renaissance. His exposition of the project itself is meticulous; he then follows the course of his protagonists' lives after the project was abandoned, clearly showing how the failed enterprise affected both Leonardo and Niccolò.
Included in this comprehensive work is fascinating background on art, hydraulic engineering, the social and political milieu of Florence, religion, literature, westward exploration, and much more. In a friendly, easily-digestible style, Masters unfolds the story piece by piece, using extracts from letters and marvelous period illustrations to reinforce his conclusions and highlight his tale.
Yet this is no figment of the author's inagination; Masters supports his theory well with extensive notes, and he does this in a manner designed to avoid detracting from the main thrust of his story. Instead of using intrusive superscript numbers, he includes a list of notes in an appendix, where he refers back to the appropriate page. In order to keep the size of the book reasonable, the notes that appear in the book itself are incomplete, limited only to those most important to his point. A complete set of notes is available by mail or can be found on the internet at Masters' website:
http://www.Dartmouth.edu/~rmasters/
This unusual method of annotation leaves the book free of distracting references and makes it much easier on the layman, at the same time still serving as an extremely informative and useful resource for the serious student.
Does Masters prove his point? To my mind, there is no doubt that Leonardo and Niccolò did indeed work together. The only portion of the book that is left in any real question is the exact nature and course of the relationship between the two men. The circumstances under which they met and the disappointment of the Arno venture were both good reasons for a lack of any evidence for or against a friendship. That Niccolò respected Leonardo's expertise is undeniable; that he felt a close enough attachment to use his own influence to help him is strongly implied. The rest must, by necessity, be left to our imaginations--yet Masters makes a valid case for a friendship that becomes harder to deny as the book unfolds.
I was enthralled as much by the fresh, insightful look at two of the most fascinating figures of the Renaissance as by their mysterious collaboration. Masters brings them and other personalities vividly to life through the simple expedient of letting them speak to us in their own words. Renaissance-era Florence--a half-vanished world that has captured our imaginations for centuries--becomes immediate and real in Masters' hands.
Why did the plan fail? It was not for any lack of brilliance on Leonardo's part. It would seem that Florence of the sixteenth century was just as sorely plagued by incompetent bureaucratic officials as many modern nations; quite simply, Leonardo's plan was not carried out properly. We cannot know with absolute certainty whether it would have worked, but even to inexperienced eyes such as mine, it appears a reliable, even ingenious strategy. It is intriguing to think how, had Leonardo and Niccolò been successful, the course of Florentine history would have radically changed. Yet history, or fortune as Machiavelli calls it, is a river not so easily tamed.
I liken [Fortune] to one of these violent rivers which, when they become enraged, flood the plains, ruin the trees and the buildings, lift earth from this part, drop in another; each person flees before them, everyone yields to their impetus without being able to hinder them in any regard.
Niccolò Machiavelli
