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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is the well-known Renaissance polymath — a painter, sculptor, inventor mathematician, and scientist. Da Vinci is buried at the Chapel of St Hubert adjacent to the royal chateau in Amboise, France. His Vinci, Tuscany birthplace is a museum. 
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The miniature sheet contains four €1,15 stamps, da Vinci's painting of St. Jerome in the Desert (or Wilderness, ca. 1480). On the left of the M/S, is a depiction of Plato dressed as da Vinci, a painting by Raphael, detail from his work, School of Athens. Both paintings are from the Vatican Museums. The painting depicts St. Jerome in the Syrian desert or wilderness. The UFN brochure describes the painting as "St Jerome in Ecstasy," but the more common title is "St. Jerome in the Wilderness" (or "Desert"). A website dedicated to da Vinci describes the figure of the saint: "Jerome's imploring face is at a three-quarter angle: it is haggard from fasting and penitence; at the same time his eyes display determination and will-power. In his out-stretched right hand he clasps a rock, the penitent about to strike his own breast. Making this all the more dramatic is the setting of the subject against the dark background of a cave. Off to one side another of Leonardo's rocky landscapes rises into the mist." The painting was completed ca. 1480 during a difficult, melancholy time in Leonardo's life, just prior to his departure for Milan. Da Vinci's ability to accurately portray anatomy is seen in the painting, which is unfinished. A curious history is associated with the panting, which was cut into pieces as some point, a portion purchased in a Roman junk shop, then reassembled in the 19th century.

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