Leonardo da Vinci was not merely a painter, but also a scientist. Around 1502, Valentino, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, gained control of Imola. He brought Leonardo da Vinci to the city and had him draw a map to aid its planning.
Most city maps at the time were "mountain-view maps," drawn by someone looking down over the entire city from a mountain. This method was certainly beautiful and highly "realistic," but it also had many flaws: some buildings were obscured, while proportions could be distorted.
The maps Leonardo da Vinci drew, however, were "bird's-eye views," as though he were looking down from heaven.
Yet there were no flying devices in that era. Never mind satellites—even hot-air balloons did not exist.
At least, he had not kept the technique to himself. Among the Cicognara family's collections, Georgiana found more city maps surveyed according to Leonardo da Vinci's methods. Unlike nautical charts, these maps lacked compass roses, yet most bore a circle divided into eight equal parts. This seemed to be the secret of Leonardo da Vinci's surveying method.
Leonardo da Vinci said that a painting with perspective looked like a relief, though it was truly flat to the touch. A mirror was also a flat surface; with outlines and shadows, it too could make an object appear to have the effect of relief.
But unlike a mirror, the colors you possessed could create more powerful light and shadow. If your composition was right, you could surely create exquisite paintings.
On these maps, Georgiana Anna could not see the rise and fall of the land. After all, most cities were built on flat ground.
Yet at that moment, she remembered Phoebe, who had fallen under the Portrait Curse. Bill believed the portrait contained an advanced Extension Charm, even though