This hidden talent of Leonardo da Vinci is sending a shock wave across the internet

We’ve all heard the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” used to describe people who dabble in many things, but it doesn’t apply to Leonardo da Vinci. This Italian Renaissance genius made groundbreaking contributions to art, science, engineering, and anatomy, and—surprisingly—was also a perfume enthusiast. According to IFL Science, the 15th-century polymath had a deep understanding of aromas and used chemistry to create innovative fragrances.

“Da Vinci was fascinated by all forms of life, including animals (he was a strict vegetarian) and plants, which he studied meticulously; not just to be able to draw and paint them but also for their scents,” Dr. Caro Verbeek, a scent and art historian working at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, told the outlet. Experts suggest that Leonardo da Vinci owned equipment that helped him extract perfumes. Moreover, the theorist also successfully applied some modern techniques to do so.

Additionally, da Vinci’s painting skills were an extension of his worldview on aromas. “Being naturally curious and experimental, he must have started producing his own scents,” said Dr. Verbeek, adding that da Vinci was not the only artist of his time who had a deep knowledge of fragrances. In fact, several other painters in the Renaissance, according to the art historian, “often bought the ingredients for their own paints and varnishes in a pharmacy.”

Dr. Verbeek explained to the outlet further by sharing, “Some of the fragrant materials used in painting, such as resins and gums, were also used in perfumery.” Many other perfume ingredients could be acquired in that undisclosed pharmacy, as per the expert, enhancing his familiarity and access to these products. Da Vinci showed a similar interest in making perfumes, like in his artwork.

“The polymath was well aware of scent-extracting techniques such as "l'infusione in liquidi alcoolici" (infusion in liquid alcohols), which is a type of maceration in which the liquid absorbs the odorants in plants,” according to Dr. Verbeek. The specific method that da Vinci used to produce perfume ingredients was considered to be ahead of its time. “He also knew enfleurage, which was highly modern at the time. In this process, delicate flowers are placed on (animal) fat, which attracts the fragrant essential oils,” the outlet quoted Dr. Verbeek as explaining further.

Moreover, the comprehensive techniques of perfume making were innovatively intertwined with da Vinci’s other crafts as well, observed the historian. So much so that a research published in the journal PubMed titled, “Leonardo's Donna Nuda Unveiled” explored the possibility of the painting having an aroma similar to how it smells inside a forest after heavy rain showers. Notably, the painting reportedly was a work of one of da Vinci’s students, completed under his supervision.

Leonardo’s painting “Lady with an Ermine” has recently been enhanced to provide a full sensory experience, per a new initiative taken by the National Museum in Kraków, Poland. With an aim to restore its original aroma, the museum came up with a scented pen that visitors can sniff while viewing the masterpiece in order to bring back its fragrance to life. “It's a very nice, historical museum smell," according to Tomasz Sawoszczuk, the project's lead researcher at Kraków University of Economics, who told EuroNews that the particular “element of walnut wood,” in the scent, “because the walnut board was used as the base of the painting.”