Vincenzo Leonardi

Vincenzo Leonardi was the kind of guy who kept a lorikeet on his shoulder while he painted. He lived in early 17th-century Rome, where artists chased perfection—but he just wanted to catch the exact shimmer of a bird’s wing. His early watercolor of a ornate lorikeet still surprises people: the feathers glow like polished glass, and the bird looks ready to flutter off the page. If you love birds or colors that pop, seek it out—it’s in Rome’s Palazzo Corsini, tucked between bigger names.