New research claims Leonardo da Vinci was son of a slave

An image of the front cover of 'The Smile Of Caterina, The Mother Of Leonardo' book by Italian author Carlo Vecce seen during its presentation in Villa La Loggia in Florence on March 14. Photo: AFP

Leonardo da Vinci, the painter of the Mona Lisa and a symbol of the Renaissance, was only half-Italian, his mother a slave from the Caucasus, a new research recently revealed.

Da Vinci's mother had long been thought a Tuscan peasant, but University of Naples professor Carlo Vecce, a specialist in the Old Master, believes the truth is more complicated.