We are family: Italian genealogists identify 14 people descended from Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci statue, sculpted by Luigi Pampaloni in 1839. It is located in the Uffizi courtyard in Florence, Italy. Photo: AFP

After researching Leonardo da Vinci's family tree, Italian scientists have identified 14 men who are descended from the artist.

Their work was "a synthesis of decades-long research aimed at reconstructing the complete and up-to-date genealogy of the Da Vinci family, " the scientists wrote in a paper published in Human Evolution, a trade journal.

Da Vinci experts Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato said they had documented 21 generations of the artist's family.

For their study, the researchers also interviewed descendants of the Italian painter, architect and engineer. They found some had pursued careers working in offices or as steel workers and craftsmen, and were now retired.

The researchers also identified several families in different branches of the artist's family tree.

The full history of the family now spans some 690 years. In their genealogy work, the researchers examined the male line starting from Leonardo's ancestor Michele, who was born in the 13th century, then traced his relatives, from his father Piero Frosino (1426) to the birth of the artist in 1452.

They also used the documents to trace back four family branches that began with Leonardo Da Vinci's brother Domenico, according to the article.

Da Vinci had at least 22 half brothers, but no children, the researchers found. - dpa