Which artist, engineer, musician, and scientist has been called the most versatile genius of the Renaissance?

The title of the ultimate "Renaissance Man" is often bestowed upon this Florentine artist and inventor, whose boundless curiosity drove him to master a staggering number of disciplines. While he is globally celebrated for creating masterpieces like the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," his artistic achievements were just one expression of his genius. He believed that art and science were intertwined, two different ways of investigating and describing the beauty (Review) and mechanics of the natural world.

His private notebooks reveal the true breadth of his intellect. Spanning thousands of pages, they contain pioneering studies in anatomy, botany, geology, and optics. As an engineer and inventor, he was centuries ahead of his time, conceptualizing flying machines, an armored tank, a diving suit, and innovative civil engineering projects like bridges and canals. He was also a gifted musician and cartographer. It was this unparalleled ability to excel across the arts, sciences, and engineering that cemented his legacy as perhaps the most diversely talented person to have ever lived.