Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian Renaissance artist, possibly studied lions in person in Florence?

Learn more about Leonardo’s cats in this short video

Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks are filled with his inventions and studies of people and animals. But did you know he also studied lions (and cats!) first hand? In one page from his notebooks we see how he sketched cats in different poses—and doing very cat-like activities.

Main artwork:

1. Leonardo da Vinci, Study sheet with cats, dragon, and other animals, 1513–15, pen, ink, black chalk on paper. Royal Library, Windsor.