Leda and the Swan (1503-10) - �Leda and the Swan"�refers to a Greek myth where Zeus, disguised as a swan, seduces or rapes Leda, the Spartan queen, and impregnates her, leading to the birth of Helen of Troy and the Dioscuri twins. Every era, in other words, has its own Trojan War; and "Leda and the Swan" has often been read as symbolic of�the dawn of Christianity and the Irish Civil War.������� *Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452�1519) was Italian painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. He gained notoriety for his notebooks, in which he produced sketches and notes on a variety of topics, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, painting, and palaeontology, even though his popularity primarily stemmed from his accomplishments as a painter. Only his younger contemporary, Michelangelo, has made a greater impact to following generations of painters than Leonardo, who is widely recognised as a genius and the embodiment of the Renaissance humanist ideal.�