But until he was in his 40s he had not really fulfilled all his wants.' Particularly since life expectancy in Italy at that time was a mere 40 years of age.Īccording to Contemporary Authors Online, 'While published in Britain in 1995, Domino was not issued in the United States until 2002. We think of him as a genius who could succeed at anything he turned his hand to. 'Because most of the things that he is known for today-The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, the anatomical drawings-all of those things come after the age of 42. Of Leonardo, who sometimes had trouble finishing his masterpieces, King has said, 'Had Leonardo died in 1494, he would be virtually unknown today' King says. In Leonardo and the Last Supper, King pursued some commonly-held myths about the painting 'The Last Supper,' including that Mary Magdalen is not represented in the painting, a idea that may have arisen with Dan Brown's 2003 book The Da Vinci Code. in English Literature and moved to England to assume a research position at the University of London. 'In 2002-03, two books of his were published in the United States, Domino, about the world of masquerades and opera in 18th century London and the New York Times bestselling Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.' He holds a Ph.D. He is a devoted cyclist and hikes regularly in both the Pyrenees and the Canadian Rockies. The critically acclaimed author of Brunelleschi's Dome, Leonardo and the Last Supper, and Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power, King is a native of Canada who has lived in England since 1992, currently outside Oxford.

The Judgment of Paris by Ross King