The Philippines Ylang-Ylang Flower- A Repost

The Filipino ylang-ylang flower gained worldwide fame when it became a key ingredient in one of France’s most iconic perfumes — Chanel No. 5.

Native to the Philippines and Southeast Asia, ylang-ylang’s exotic, sweet scent captured the hearts of French perfumers and played a major role in elevating the country's reputation in the global fragrance industry. Here's repost of my previous article on this subject.

"A couple of months ago, I received an E-mail from a FaceBook friend who introduced me to another friend who was involved in Ylang-Ylang oil production in Zambales province in the Philippines. Here's part of our conversation.

FB Friend: Good morning, I am glad we could connect.  My condolences also about your wife.  As Joey mentions, we have established large plantations of ylang ylang in Zambales (around 21 hectares / 8,000 trees).  From this, we have commenced distillation of ylang ylang essential oil.  This is exciting because we are reintroducing the production of ylang ylang essential oil to its native lands, as well as working primarily with Aeta communities that were displaced by the eruption of Mt Pinatubo.  From this we will soon commence supplying global markets.

I understand you are an expert in ylang ylang? Can you elaborate a little more for me such that I might understand better?  I hope we might learn from your expertise with working with this tree.

My Response:  My interest in Ylang-Ylang Oil started in 1962 at the University of Illinois in Chicago when I wrote my Master's Degree thesis in Pharmaceutical Chemistry on the Analysis of Volatile Components Of Ylang-Ylang Oil by Gas Chromatography. So this expertise is purely theoretical, unlike your expertise on farming, production and commercialization that I really admire.  The production and commercialization of Ylang-Ylang Oil in the Philippines was my dream. Today, I am retired and keep myself busy by blogging. I wish you great success in your Ylang-Ylang oil business. 

The subject of Ylang-Ylang oil production is a subject very closed to my heart because the volatile components of the flowers/oil have been the subject of my Master's thesis at the University of Illinois in 1963.

Another Repost :The Best Smell of My Life-Original article, dated  Feb 25, 2012.

Photo of the Ylang-Ylang flower in my backyard, Chateau Du Mer, Marinduque, Philippines

This article was inspired by a Question of a friend in Facebook-regarding the best smell one has experienced. Mine is the smell of the blooming Ylang-Ylang trees in my garden at Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. I have two big mature trees in the backyard of Chateau Du Mer that are about 15 years old.

When the trees are in bloom, you can smell the fragrance of it flowers to as far as 50 meters and even farther if the wind direction is favorable. It is one fragrance, that I will never forget at Chateau Du Mer in Marinduque. Its reminds me of the perfume, Channel No.5.

The fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of rubber and custard, and bright with hints of jasmine and neroli. The essential oil of the flower is obtained through steam distillation of the flowers and separated into different grades (extra; 1; 2; 3) according to when the distillates are obtained. The main aromatic components of ylang-ylang oil are benzyl acetate, linalool, p-cresyl methyl ether, and methyl benzoate, responsible for its characteristic odor.

On the subject of Ylang Ylang Oil,I am proud to inform readers of this blog that my Master’s degree thesis was the Analysis of the Volatile Constituents of Ylang Ylang Oil by Gas Chromatography. This was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vol.52, No.3 252-258 dated March, 1963.

I believe not too many non-Filipinos have heard of this tree and it fragrant flowers. Here’s a short information from Wikipedia for your reading pleasure.

Cananga odorata, commonly called Ylang-ylang (pronounced /ˈiːlæŋ ˈiːlæŋ/, EE-lang-EE-lang), cananga tree, ilang-ilang, kenanga (Indonesian), fragrant cananga, Macassar-oil plant or perfume tree), is a tree valued for its perfume. The essential oil derived from the flowers is used in aromatherapy and in the manufacture of perfumes.

Cananga odorata is a fast-growing tree of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae, that exceeds 5 m (15 ft) per year and attains an average height of 12 m (40 ft). It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rain forest habitat. The evergreen leaves are smooth and glossy, oval, pointed, with wavy margins, and 13–20 cm (5–8 in) long. The flower is drooping, long-stalked, with six narrow greenish yellow (rarely pink) petals, rather like a sea star in appearance, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil.

The Chemical Composition Typical chemical compositions of the various grades of Ylang ylang are reported as follows:

Constituents Linalool, geranyl acetate, caryophyllene, p-cresyl, methyl ether, methyl benzoate, other, sesquiterpenes.

The name ylang-ylang is derived from Tagalog, either from the word ilang, meaning “wilderness”, alluding to its natural habitat, or the word ilang-ilan, meaning “rare”, suggestive of its exceptionally delicate scent. A more widely accepted translation is “flower of flowers”. The plant is native to the Philippines and Indonesia and is commonly grown in Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.

The essential oil of ylang-ylang is used in aromatherapy. It is believed to relieve high blood pressure, normalize sebum secretion for skin problems, and is considered to be an aphrodisiac. According to Margaret Mead, it was used as such by South Pacific natives such as the Solomons where she did much of her research. The oil from ylang-ylang is widely used in perfumery for oriental or floral themed perfumes (like Chanel No. 5). Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit and wood smells.

In Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are spread on the bed of newlywed couples. In the Philippines, its flowers, together with the flowers of the sampaguita, are strung into a necklace (lei) and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.

Medicinal uses

Ylang Ylang is a common ingredient in the herbal motion sickness remedy, MotionEaze.

Circulatory System: Ylang ylang is recommended for treating palpitations and reducing high blood pressure

Nervous System : Ylang ylang is known for its ability to slow down over-rapid breathing and over-rapid heart beat. These symptoms are usually associated with shock, anxiety and anger.

Reproductive System: Ylang ylang has proven beneficial for treating PMS, especially associated with extreme mood swings that occurs just before the onset of menstruation. For this purpose, Fischer-Rizzi recommends blending Ylang ylang with clary sage and neroli. This blend should be used in a bath, massage oil or in a vaporizer.

Skin care: Added to the skin care preparation, Ylang ylang oil is beneficial in softening and balancing the moisture of the skin. It is recommended in hair care to treat split ends. It can be used in a shampoo base of massaged into the tips of the hair after shampooing with a base oil such as apricot kernel or jojoba oil. Ylang ylang is recommended for dry and oily skin and is reputed to have a balancing action on sebum production.

I hope you find this article informative. It is the best smell, I have ever experience in my life. 

Meanwhile, enjoy this various shades of purple: 

Lastly, my word of the Day: I love the Color- Purple

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2024/07/i-love-color-purple-and-its-various.html

April is Also Filipino Food Month

Today is the last day of April, 2025. It is time again to talk about my obsession on Filipino Food. 

I am glad to share this posting with you from the Philippine Embassy in Russia. It's about Filipino Food-a topic I love to write and read. The above photo is shrimp Sinigang, one of my favorite Pinoy Dishes. The word TIKIM, meaning is to Taste!

"APRIL is also Filipino Food Month, and so Philippine Embassy in Russia remembers Professor Doreen Gamboa-Fernandez (1934-2002). The Silay, Negros Occidental native pioneered food writing in the Philippines, making sense of the sheer variety and diversity of flavors of Filipino cuisine which she admitted was very difficult to describe, and thus helped put Filipino cuisine on the global map today.

In her groundbreaking 1975 essay “Why Sinigang?”, she caused an uproar by suggesting that sinigang rather than adobo, which has Mexican origins, is the representative Filipino dish: “Rather than the overworked adobo (so often identified as Philippine stew in foreign cookbooks), sinigang seems to me the most representative of Filipino taste ... We like the lightly boiled, slightly soured, the dish that includes fish (or shrimp, or meat), vegetables and broth. It is adaptable to all tastes, to all classes and budgets, to seasons and availability.” 

According to Hope Ngo, Fernandez traveled all over the archipelago, reaching out to farmers and fishermen, prominent chefs and waiters, to roadside market vendors and their customers, all in an effort to understand why we Filipinos eat what we eat. In the end, she was able to present Filipino food at once local and universal — as "a Malay matrix, in which melded influences from China and India, Arabia, Spain and America”. 

As historian Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett points out in “Gastronomica”, Fernandez used words to paint a culinary landscape that Filipinos could relate to, understand, and be proud to call their own.

Adobo: The National Dish of the Philippines – Origins and Variations

Adobo is widely regarded as the national dish of the Philippines, known for its rich, savory, and slightly tangy flavor. The dish is traditionally made by marinating meat (usually pork or chicken) in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns before being simmered to perfection.

The origins of Adobo trace back to pre-colonial times when indigenous Filipinos used vinegar and salt to preserve food. The term "Adobo" comes from the Spanish word adobar, meaning "to marinate," introduced during Spanish colonization. However, the Filipino version remains uniquely its own, differing significantly from Spanish Adobo.

Variations of Adobo exist across the Philippines. Some regions add coconut milk (Adobo sa Gata), while others use turmeric (Adobo sa Dilaw). Dry Adobo, sweet Adobo, and seafood-based Adobo also showcase the dish's versatility. Despite its many forms, Adobo remains a staple of Filipino cuisine, deeply embedded in its cultural identity.

Moreover, Did you know that Kansi is Iloilo’s brilliant answer to two iconic Filipino dishes — sinigang and bulalo? 

This Western Visayan sour beef soup uses beef shank, batwan or tamarind for that signature tang, and is slow-cooked to create a rich, comforting broth.

But here’s what makes it special: gabi (taro) isn't just for texture — it naturally thickens the soup and deepens the flavor, giving kansi its signature creamy, sour blend. A true taste of regional creativity!

Found in many Ilonggo households and karinderyas, kansi proves that Filipino food is endlessly inventive — borrowing, blending, and bold with flavor.

In the coastal towns of Sorsogon, locals have perfected a rich, buttery delicacy—taba ng talangka (crab paste). Made from tiny salted crab fat, this umami-packed treat is a game-changer in Filipino cuisine.

Whether drizzled over steaming rice, mixed into seafood dishes, or tossed with pasta, its deep, savory flavor is pure indulgence. A little spoonful goes a long way!

Meanwhile, Did you know that......

A 6.55-inch Megalodon tooth found off the coast of North Carolina is a truly remarkable discovery. The Megalodon, an enormous prehistoric shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago, is considered one of the largest and most powerful predators in history. This giant tooth offers a glimpse into the scale of these ancient creatures, as Megalodon teeth could reach lengths of over 7 inches, dwarfing the teeth of any modern shark. The tooth’s size suggests it came from an adult Megalodon, possibly measuring over 50 feet long, which is larger than a school bus.

Teeth like this are often found in areas that were once underwater, and North Carolina’s coast is known for being a treasure trove of prehistoric marine fossils. The dark color and ridges on the tooth reflect its age and the minerals absorbed from the surrounding sediment during fossilization. Such a tooth not only sparks fascination for its sheer size but also serves as a scientific tool for studying the diet, habitat, and life of Megalodons. This discovery connects us to a time when giant sharks roamed the ancient oceans, dominating their ecosystems and leaving behind incredible remnants like this colossal tooth.

Lastly, Enjoyed these 2 photos I took on my Patio on April 10, 2025

Why is Cardinal Chito Tagle Considered as Papabile?

FROM MY READINGS YESTERDAY:CONCLAVE START MAY 7 

WHY IS MANILA'S CARDINAL CHITO TAGLE BEING BILLED AS ‘PAPABILE'?

Ian Laqui - Philstar.com April 28, 2025 | 12:48pmMANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:25 p.m.)

Pope Francis (2nd R) waves at Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (L) during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on September 4, 2024.

AFP / Tiziana Fabi

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:25 p.m.) — Following the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican has entered a period of sede vacante, with the College of Cardinals set to convene and elect the next Supreme Pontiff. Among the leading contenders named by members of the press covering the church in Rome is Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, a prominent figure in the Filipino clergy and recognized as one of the Church’s most influential voices.

Observers have labeled Tagle the “Asian Francis” due to similarities in pastoral focus and leadership style with the late pope. Why is he considered a strong contender for the throne of the Holy See? According to the College of Cardinals Report:

“Cardinal Tagle possesses not only attributes similar to Jorge Bergoglio and extensive pastoral and administrative experience but also significant theological and historical training.”

Currently, Tagle serves as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, a key post in the Roman Curia to which he was appointed in 2022.  He  was the second Filipino cardinal to head a dicastery in the Roman Curia. The first was Cardinal Jose Sanchez, who was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. His administrative and pastoral experience is extensive: He previously headed the Archdiocese of Manila. He also served as president of Caritas Internationalis, the official global network of Catholic charitable organizations, from 2015 to 2022.

While he was among the entire leadership team of Caritas relieved of their responsibilities by Francis in November 2022, Tagle, nominally president, was not involved in day-to-day operations, which were managed by the secretary general, who was a layman.  In 2020, he was made Cardinal-Bishop of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle. A Cardinal-Bishop belongs to the highest order in the Catholic Church.

Tagle was also a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, among other significant roles. Congregations are the major departments of the Catholic Church's central governing body—the Roman Curia—which help the Pope manage the global Church.

Style and stance

Tagle’s approach and progressive stances have drawn comparisons to Pope Francis. Both have advocated for a Church that is inclusive, compassionate and attentive to the marginalized.

Tagle has consistently supported Francis’ vision, emphasizing service over status and compassion over condemnation.

On key issues, Tagle has taken notable positions:

On the drug war. As Archbishop of Manila, he was an outspoken critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, condemning drug-related killings and urging respect for human dignity.

On the LGBTQ+ community. Tagle has criticized the Church’s “harsh words” against LGBTQ individuals, highlighting the harm caused by exclusion and advocating for a more welcoming approach.

Tagle believes that individuals belonging to those groups were labeled, which subsequently led to their isolation from the broader community.

“I don’t know whether this is true but I heard that in some circles, Christian circles, the suffering that these people underwent was even considered as a rightful consequence of their mistakes, so spiritualised in that sense… But we are glad to see and hear shifts in that,” Tagle said in 2015.

On divorce. He opposes the legalization of divorce, upholding the sanctity of marriage as a sacrament. However, he has called for a nuanced, case-by-case approach to the communion of divorced and remarried Catholics.

“Every situation for those who are divorced and remarried is quite unique. To have a general rule might be counterproductive in the end,” Tagle said in 2015.

The what-ifs. If elected, Tagle would be the first pontiff from contemporary Southeast Asia and the Philippines, a country with the region’s largest Catholic population. His fluency in Italian and English, as well as his multicultural background, further positions him as a global Church leader.

While Tagle is considered by observers as a leading contender, Vatican historians caution that papal elections are historically unpredictable. As an old Italian saying goes, “He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it as a cardinal.”  

Here's the Pope Lost letter to Cardinal Tagle. 

https://youtu.be/vEyEjmqYk8w?si=cyUXjrHDHtwGVJHw 

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article claimed that Tagle could be the first Asian pope. This has been corrected. Previous heads of the Catholic Church including Saint Peter (r.30-67), born in Bethsaida now part of modern-day Western Asia, could also be considered Asian by geographic origin. Pope Gregory III (r.731-734) hailed from Syria while Pope John VI (r. 701-705 was from Ephesus in Asia Minor, now part of Turkey.

Meanwhile, Did you know that..... 

A new theory by Dr. Richard Lieu challenges the Big Bang model, proposing that the universe evolves through ultra-rapid, recurring bursts called *temporal singularities*, not a single explosive origin event.

These singularities inject matter and energy in fleeting pulses across space, shaping cosmic structure without relying on dark matter or dark energy, and introducing a new explanation for cosmic expansion driven by negative pressure.

Published as a refinement of Lieu’s 2024 model, the theory claims these bursts occur too quickly and rarely to be observed, possibly explaining why dark matter and energy remain undetected despite decades of searching.

Finally, Light isn’t just what we see — it’s what we are.

• Italian scientists have achieved the impossible: freezing pure light into a solid form for the first time ever.

• If the Big Bang was an explosion of light, then everything — you, me, the stars — is simply light at different densities.

• Science now echoes what spirituality always whispered: we are luminous beings refracted through a kaleidoscope of existence. This isn’t belief. It’s physics. Save this truth — and remember, you are made of light.

Pre-Colonial Woman Leader of the Philippines- Alex Eala- Tennis Star

Did you know? Before the Spanish arrived, Sta. Ana, Manila was the heart of the Kingdom of Namayan — ruled by a woman, Queen Panginoan.

While Europe was dominated by kings and emperors, the Philippines had female monarchs calling the shots.

Namayan thrived near the Pasig River, trading with neighbors, and proving that gender didn't stop leadership in ancient Manila.

Meanwhile, Did you know that...

Before the Spanish arrived, Sta. Ana, Manila was the heart of the Kingdom of Namayan — ruled by a woman, Queen Panginoan.

While Europe was dominated by kings and emperors, the Philippines had female monarchs calling the shots.

Namayan thrived near the Pasig River, trading with neighbors, and proving that gender didn't stop leadership in ancient Manila.

Lastly, a paragraph on Alex Eala, Philippines New Tennis Star Sensation

It was a moment she fully deserved. During her time in Miami, Alex Eala compiled one of the most spectacular and surprising breakout runs of this century. A 19-year-old from the Philippines ranked No 140, she had entered the Miami Open with a wild card and few expectations. In her short career, she had won only two matches on the WTA tour and her form in 2025 had been unimpressive.

Simply winning her first-round match against the No 73 Katie Volynets marked this tournament as a success for Eala, but she just kept on going. She generated attention with her victory over Jelena Ostapenko, the mercurial 2017 French Open champion, then she forced the tennis world to take notice with her straight-sets win over Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion and world No 5. With all eyes on Eala, she then engineered one of the great upsets in recent times, toppling the five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals.

One week ago, no Filipina woman had ever defeated a grand slam champion. Eala scuppered three in succession. She then showed that those victories were no fluke by pushing Jessica Pegula, the world No 4, to the limit in an intense, bruising three-set battle.

BREAKING NEWS : Tennis star Alexandra Eala donated her entire $5.4 million prize money and endorsement deal to charities and homeless relief. What she did next left everyone in awe.

https://www.rappler.com/sports/rich-history-philippine-tennis-decades-before-alex-eala/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJw549leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHuRKD3Sa2J2OKrYVsDKmm3rWWMZKvf7R3XtqmVysGwZa80cnPkGyQpKtzjWC_aem_LFx4bmnhEfxj8_ElfoiRjA

From My FaceBook Page This Week:

"DON’T TRY TO BUY ME WITH MONEY!" – Tennis star Alexandra Eala fiercely rejected a $10 million offer from Elon Musk. This bold and principled decision not only stunned the media, but also prompted an unexpected reaction from Musk — leaving the world in shock!

Excerpts from The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci- AI Pope Prediction

From Art Readings This Week!

He was born on April 15, 1452, in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, the bastard son of a Florentine notary and a peasant girl. No surname marked him—da Vinci simply meant “from Vinci.” He arrived in a century pulsing with rebirth. Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, was alive with painters, philosophers, and the sparks of rediscovered antiquity. Gutenberg’s press had just begun to churn out Bibles. Columbus would not sail for decades. Yet from the start, young Leonardo seemed untethered to his age.

He received no formal schooling in Latin or Greek—the languages of the learned—and yet, by sheer force of curiosity, he devoured anatomy, botany, geometry, and the movement of the stars. At fourteen, he was apprenticed to the great Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence, where he learned to grind pigments, cast bronze, and draw the human form with an exactitude that seemed almost divine.

But Leonardo could never be confined to canvas. He saw the world not as a gallery but as a machine to be understood, dissected, and, if possible, improved. He filled notebook after notebook—thousands of pages in mirrored script—with designs for flying machines, underwater breathing devices, armored vehicles, hydraulic pumps. Most were never built, yet the sketches pulse with such clarity and foresight that they seem torn from the pages of the future. 

He studied the cadavers of executed criminals, peeling back the skin to chart the muscles beneath, not to serve art but to solve the mystery of life itself. In one of his more macabre acts of devotion to knowledge, he described in clinical detail the death of an old man, dissected hours after his final breath—“this is the soul,” he mused, “leaving the body.” He painted with maddening slowness, often leaving works unfinished, yet when he did complete them—The Last Supper, The Virgin of the Rocks, The Mona Lisa—they were like revelations in oil, imbued with a psychological depth no artist had ever dared.

By the end of his life, kings and cardinals sought his company not merely for his brush, but for his mind. He spent his final years in France under the patronage of Francis I, who called him “a man who could not be replaced.” There, in the Loire Valley, the great polymath finally slowed. On May 2, 1519, Leonardo da Vinci died, legend has it, in the arms of the French king himself. He left behind no children, no school, and only a handful of finished paintings. But he had cracked open the universe and peered into its workings with a lucidity unmatched in human history. The world would not see his like again.

Another Article on Da Vinci: Gay polymath bastard painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect Leonardo Da Vinci was BOTD in 1452 and died in 1519 at the age of 67. Although his genius was recognized, success largely eluded him in his lifetime. In 1476, a week before his 24th birthday, Leonardo, along with three other young men, were anonymously accused of committing sodomy with a 17-year-old male prostitute named Jacopo Saltarelli. Only 24 and already big with the rough trade. Luckily for Leonardo, one of the other accused had a connection with the powerful Medici; they were all let off under “the condition that no further accusations are made.” But a few weeks later, another anonymous complaint was lodged against the four, again in connection with Saltarelli. No witnesses came forward, and the case was dropped for good.

Although punishments for sodomy could be harsh (including prison, exile, or death), it seems that many other prominent Florentine artists were also known to have been homosexuals (Michelangelo, Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, and Benvenuto Cellini, among them). As Renaissance humanists engaged with rediscovered works by Plato, which celebrated “l’amore masculino,” homosexuality became such a fact of Florentine life that the word Florenzer became slang in Germany for “gay.” Leonardo seemed largely at ease with his homo desires—unlike Michelangelo, who agonized over his own sexuality. 

Isaacson reminds us that his homosexuality “probably contributed to his sense of being unconventional.” As in many other aspects of his life, this difference set Leonardo apart. His outsider status enabled his unique brand of creativity, as well as the trailblazing paintings and experiments that have made him such a towering World figure today.

💚Da Vinci- Angelo Incarnato- His Little Devil- Salai

Gian Giacomo Caprotti was Leonardo da Vinci’s companion for 25 years. He was the model for many of da Vinci’s paintings, including St John the Baptist, where you see him smiling playfully for the painter. Some people even believe he was the model for the Mona Lisa! By all accounts, Caprotti both infuriated and captivated the older man. Da Vinci nicknamed him ‘Salai’, meaning ‘little devil’, for his habit of stealing things, lying and playing pranks. Yet Leonardo loved him enough to buy him expensive clothes, and he desired him enough to depict him in 💚Angelo Incarnato, naked, with an erection and the same flirtatious smile on his face.

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of Batman and Robin enjoying my Patio.

Lastly, here's AI Prediction for the POPE. I will be extremely happy if the AI prediction is correct

Excerpts from the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci - AI Pope Prediction

From Art Readings This Week!

He was born on April 15, 1452, in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, the bastard son of a Florentine notary and a peasant girl. No surname marked him—da Vinci simply meant “from Vinci.” He arrived in a century pulsing with rebirth. Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, was alive with painters, philosophers, and the sparks of rediscovered antiquity. Gutenberg’s press had just begun to churn out Bibles. Columbus would not sail for decades. Yet from the start, young Leonardo seemed untethered to his age.

He received no formal schooling in Latin or Greek—the languages of the learned—and yet, by sheer force of curiosity, he devoured anatomy, botany, geometry, and the movement of the stars. At fourteen, he was apprenticed to the great Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence, where he learned to grind pigments, cast bronze, and draw the human form with an exactitude that seemed almost divine.

But Leonardo could never be confined to canvas. He saw the world not as a gallery but as a machine to be understood, dissected, and, if possible, improved. He filled notebook after notebook—thousands of pages in mirrored script—with designs for flying machines, underwater breathing devices, armored vehicles, hydraulic pumps. Most were never built, yet the sketches pulse with such clarity and foresight that they seem torn from the pages of the future. 

He studied the cadavers of executed criminals, peeling back the skin to chart the muscles beneath, not to serve art but to solve the mystery of life itself. In one of his more macabre acts of devotion to knowledge, he described in clinical detail the death of an old man, dissected hours after his final breath—“this is the soul,” he mused, “leaving the body.” He painted with maddening slowness, often leaving works unfinished, yet when he did complete them—The Last Supper, The Virgin of the Rocks, The Mona Lisa—they were like revelations in oil, imbued with a psychological depth no artist had ever dared.

By the end of his life, kings and cardinals sought his company not merely for his brush, but for his mind. He spent his final years in France under the patronage of Francis I, who called him “a man who could not be replaced.” There, in the Loire Valley, the great polymath finally slowed. On May 2, 1519, Leonardo da Vinci died, legend has it, in the arms of the French king himself. He left behind no children, no school, and only a handful of finished paintings. But he had cracked open the universe and peered into its workings with a lucidity unmatched in human history. The world would not see his like again.

Another Article on Da Vinci: Gay polymath bastard painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect Leonardo Da Vinci was BOTD in 1452 and died in 1519 at the age of 67. Although his genius was recognized, success largely eluded him in his lifetime. In 1476, a week before his 24th birthday, Leonardo, along with three other young men, were anonymously accused of committing sodomy with a 17-year-old male prostitute named Jacopo Saltarelli. Only 24 and already big with the rough trade. Luckily for Leonardo, one of the other accused had a connection with the powerful Medici; they were all let off under “the condition that no further accusations are made.” But a few weeks later, another anonymous complaint was lodged against the four, again in connection with Saltarelli. No witnesses came forward, and the case was dropped for good.

Although punishments for sodomy could be harsh (including prison, exile, or death), it seems that many other prominent Florentine artists were also known to have been homosexuals (Michelangelo, Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, and Benvenuto Cellini, among them). As Renaissance humanists engaged with rediscovered works by Plato, which celebrated “l’amore masculino,” homosexuality became such a fact of Florentine life that the word Florenzer became slang in Germany for “gay.” Leonardo seemed largely at ease with his homo desires—unlike Michelangelo, who agonized over his own sexuality. 

Isaacson reminds us that his homosexuality “probably contributed to his sense of being unconventional.” As in many other aspects of his life, this difference set Leonardo apart. His outsider status enabled his unique brand of creativity, as well as the trailblazing paintings and experiments that have made him such a towering World figure today.

💚Da Vinci- Angelo Incarnato- His Little Devil- Salai

Gian Giacomo Caprotti was Leonardo da Vinci’s companion for 25 years. He was the model for many of da Vinci’s paintings, including St John the Baptist, where you see him smiling playfully for the painter. Some people even believe he was the model for the Mona Lisa! By all accounts, Caprotti both infuriated and captivated the older man. Da Vinci nicknamed him ‘Salai’, meaning ‘little devil’, for his habit of stealing things, lying and playing pranks. Yet Leonardo loved him enough to buy him expensive clothes, and he desired him enough to depict him in 💚Angelo Incarnato, naked, with an erection and the same flirtatious smile on his face.

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of Batman and Robin enjoying my Patio.

Lastly, here's AI Prediction for the POPE. I will be extremely happy if the AI prediction is correct