Leonardo ??️

You can refer to him as Leonardo or da Vinci. Surnames have four origins:
Patronymics, e.g. Robinson, Williams(on)
Place names, e,g, Chester, London.
Characteristics,(or roles taken in plays) e.g. Short, Reed (red), Bishop.
Occupations, e.g. Smith, Cooper, Tailor.

Da Vinci is just one of those; Italians use a preposition and we don't. So it's the equivalent of Leonard Vinci or Leonard Woking.

Thank you Grannygranby
That’s a beautifully succinct explanation

Leonardo is fine - if you know that you are talking about art! Otherwise it could be Leonardo di Caprio.
Say Da Vinci and everyone knows who you mean - after all, that is the purpose of a name.

Wow! Thanks Laura
That makes a refreshing change!

All surnames were derived from patronymic, topographical, or or physical or labouring mark.. so of course da Vinci is his legitimate surname, like Michel de Montaigne is known as Montaigne

Leonardo da Vinci's Head of a Bear | Christie's

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCAzebv0Mx8

The video runs for 4 minutes 2 seconds.

The result of the auction.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57735318

I am Laura of Liverpool
Orlin is Orlin of Liverpool
My Dad was George of Liverpool.
Most of the population would be someone of Liverpool
If someone referred to a painting by of Liverpool we’d all claim it.
However a painting by Laura narrows it down to well known artists of that name.
A painting by Laura of Liverpool if she is the only amazing painter would be clearest.
Da Vinci, although commonly recognised these days as referring to the great man, is not correct. Leonardo is his name, therefore correct and Leonardo Da Vinci the most accurate and recognisable today.
In my opinion Fanny is correct.

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

He didn't have a surname; he was illegitimate.

I would personally accept either.
Given that his father (as mentioned above) was known as Ser Piero da Vinci and that he was also born near that place I think we can reasonably use either name.
I lso think that technically he was known as Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci.

I may be wrong but I seem to remember that early in his career he may have been known as Leonardo of Florence? Someone else may know better. I'd be interested to know.

Grandtante
Of course not
In my op I made it clear that I was unsure if my stance was correct, and I was asking for opinions

If you can't accept Da Vinci as filling the role of a surname, because as your rightly said it means "from Vinci" what is your position on the inventor of the airship Graf von Zeppelin?

He doubtless regarded "von Zeppelin" as his surname even although it was his title and means "of Zeppelin" - the place he and his ancestors were counts of.

I have personally known a Mr Prestwick and more than one family called Ayr - are these also to be discounted as surnames?

Here is said tea towel.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist

It's been folded in the carrier bag for nine years! Think I might just keep it for myself after all this time.

My friends and I use them as tea towels - just a little novelty gift, not items for display.

Riverwalk

MayBee as a rule I don't save carrier bags.

In the bag is a tea towel from the National Gallery which I was supposed to be giving to a friend in the US - I've twice visited her since 2012 but forgotten to take the pesky thing!

Special tea towels are a strange phenomenon.

If one uses them as tea towels, they tend to wear out.

So a lot get put in a drawer and never used.

So why are they called tea towels rather than, say, wall hangings.

I know that displays of them at places like the shop at a National Trust property often look very decorative.

Blossoming

Leonardo for me, though if someone said Da Vinci I’d know who they meant. Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Titian, etc. all known by a single name.

Ignoramus here Blossoming but when i started reading your post i thought you were going to say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.?

May already have been said, but Leonardo would suggest to me Leonardo DiCaprio whereas I would refer to Leonardo da Vinci or da Vinci. the problem would lie in the pronunciation.

dragonfly46

I would call him Leonardo if I ever met him and refer to him as such but it doesn't really matter I suppose as we all know who we mean.

I would address him as Sir.

Riverwalk

Elderlyperson yes I'm well aware that the image on the bag is of The Lady with an Ermine.

The carrier bag was from the exhibition wherein the star attraction was The Virgin of the Rocks.

No need to be a smart alek.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_aleck

My post was factual.

The post that I quoted included the following.

> About 10 years' ago I went to the exhibition at the National Gallery where The Virgin of the Rocks was on display - and somewhere in a drawer I had a carrier bag and this is it:

Whilst I appreciate, and appreciated at the time, that your post did not purport that the image on the carrier bag was of The Virgin of the Rocks, and that the bag is of the exhibition, nevertheless I felt that that sentence was capable of being read as if the picture was of that painting and I did not want anyone reading this thread to learn wrongly.

As the point of your post was that the artist was named using the style Leonardo, you could have written that you went to an exhibition of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.

I would call him Leonardo if I ever met him and refer to him as such but it doesn't really matter I suppose as we all know who we mean.

And now we do have surnames, but most people say “Delia”, and I’m sure we know who they mean.

MayBee as a rule I don't save carrier bags.

In the bag is a tea towel from the National Gallery which I was supposed to be giving to a friend in the US - I've twice visited her since 2012 but forgotten to take the pesky thing!

Leonardo for me, though if someone said Da Vinci I’d know who they meant. Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Titian, etc. all known by a single name.

Anyone think it really matters ??? we all know who Leonardo is (although it’s conceivable there could be another painter called Leonardo ) we all know who daVinci is whether it’s is town or not
If in doubt put the two names together

Riverwalk

Apologies due to Fanny.

The National Gallery call him Leonardo!

About 10 years' ago I went to the exhibition at the National Gallery where The Virgin of the Rocks was on display - and somewhere in a drawer I had a carrier bag and this is it:

I’m glad I’m not the only one that hangs on to old carrier bags. I’ve got some really ancient River Island bags and some small ones from a beloved record shop that no longer exists. Of course, newer ones just tend to disintegrate.