\paperw4995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \f1 \ATXsh255 Italian architect, painter, sculptor, and military engineer. \ATXsh4607 \par
\ATXsh255 Not much is known about his training. He w
as mainly interested in civil architecture and military engineering, an activity for which the period he spent at Urbino in the service of Federico da Montefeltro (1477-89) was fundamental. During this time he planned a system of strongholds and fortific
ations scattered over the territory of the duchy. Many have been destroyed, but the ones at Sassocorvaro (1476-78), San Leo (1479), Cagli (1481), and Mondavio (began in 1482) are still standing. In Milan in 1490, he met Leonardo and gave advice on the la
ntern of the cathedral, as well as on Pavia Cathedral. He worked as a military engineer in Naples (1494-95) and in the Marche, in the service of Giovanni della Rovere (1501). A many-sided talent, and more of an engineer than an artist, he was practically
self-taught. Francesco had similar cultural orientations to Leonardo, though without his depth of analysis and breadth of interests.\ATXsh4607
