Leonardo da Vinci gave his pupil Gian Giacomo Caprotti the nickname Salaì. The name is commonly interpreted as a form of “little devil,” reflecting the boy’s mischievous behavior after he entered Leonardo’s household and workshop.
Caprotti joined Leonardo in Milan in 1490, when he was about 10 years old. Leonardo’s notebooks record complaints that the youngster stole money, damaged clothing, and caused repeated trouble. Despite this difficult start, Salaì remained with Leonardo for many years and became one of his closest assistants and companions.
Salaì appears in the historical record under variant forms, including Salai and Salaino. That variation has caused confusion about his identity, and older accounts sometimes treated “Andrea Salaino” as a separate person. Modern scholarship identifies the celebrated pupil as Gian Giacomo Caprotti, who later worked as a painter in the circle of Leonardo’s followers.
He is also linked to debates about models and collaborators for several Leonardesque works, but those attributions remain uncertain. The nickname itself is much firmer: it is the name Leonardo used for Caprotti, not the name of another Renaissance master.