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Leonardo was born in 1452, in the village of Vinci, outside the city of Florence. His father was a wealthy lawyer, and his mother was a peasant woman. His parents were not married, and Leonardo was illegitimate, which carried with it a great deal of social stigma at the time. He could not legally bear his father’s surname, and so he was named after his native village, Vinci .<ref> McCurdy, Edward. The mind of Leonardo da Vinci (London, Courier Corporation, 2013), p 4 </ref>. It appears that the young boy received little or no formal education. We do know that at the age of 15, he was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). He was one of the leading artists of his day and was a great influence on the young Leonardo, especially in his dynamic representations of the human figure.

While he received little or no formal education as a child, at 15 he was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). He was one of the leading artists of his day and was a great influence on the young Leonardo, especially in his dynamic representations of the human figure.  After the completion of his apprenticeship, he became an assistant to Verrocchio, and his extraordinary skills became well-known. His artistic style was considered to be extraordinarily original, primarily because of his unique use of light and shade. <ref>(McCurdy, p. 34)</ref> In either 1477/1488, Leonardo set up his studio and soon was receiving significant commissions.