Lecture: 'Salaino – Leonardo's Little Devil. LGBT Community of the Italian Renaissance'

Modern anthropological research shows that the main model in Leonardo da Vinci’s works was his student Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, known as Salai or “the little devil.” Our society, with its structures and contradictions, takes its roots from the Renaissance era. Therefore, to understand the present situation and its future development, it’s important to objectively study the past. Special attention should be paid to the invention of Cosimo de’ Medici, known as Pater Patriae. This influential politician who subdued the brilliant Florentine Republic, in 1432 created a unique control organ—Gli Ufficiali di Notte, or the “Night Office.” This body specialized in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting sodomites in Florence. Throughout the time it existed, it was controlled by trusted people from the Medici clan. Considering that between 1432 and 1502 about 17,000 men were the targets of denunciations from this service, it becomes clear how effectively the Medici kept the city in fear.