Who Was Leonardo’s Mother? A Novelist Has Evidence She Was Enslaved. An author has a theory that the artist’s mother, Caterina, was kidnapped as a girl in the Caucasus area of Central Asia. Author: ELISABETTA POVOLEDO Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)MoreClick to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)