Life and Art of Leonardo da Vinci

Lost Works

San Bernardo Altarpiece

A commission for the chapel in Palazzo della Signoria, Florence, allocated to Leonardo on 10 January 1478 but never completed. The commission had originally been given to Piero del Pollaiolo on 24 December 1477; its reallocation might have been arranged by Leonardo's father, who was a notary to the Signoria. After Leonardo's failure to fulfill the commission it was given to Domenico Ghirlandaio on 20 May 1483, but he did not complete the work either. It is sometimes mistakenly said that a Virgin and Child with Saints in the Uffizi by Filippino Lippi was the work finally delivered to the chapel, but this was painted for the Sala dei Dugento (council hall) of the palace.