Unfortunately, the post of military engineer went to a man named Ambrogio Ferrari. The extent and variety of Leonardo’s proposals were too great for Ludovico to trust. He did not believe that one man could possibly bring all those ideas into being. Ferrari, on the other hand, was a military engineer only, and a man who was content with the customary methods of warfare. Furthermore, Ludovico had at last decided that peaceful negotiations would gain him more than fighting. Thus Leonardo’s chance of recognition was again postponed. Meanwhile, the money that Leonardo had brought with him from Florence was almost gone. He had been forced to move from his apartment to a single room and now he was barely able to live from day to day. Although the court of Ludovico Sforza was one of the richest in the world, artists were frequently treated as servants; often they were the last to be paid for their services. Also, Leonardo was a foreigner in the city, which meant he was regarded with suspicion. Because of these reasons, Leonardo finally decided to do what the Milanese artists did—they banded together in groups sharing work and costs. Leonardo had met a young artist of twenty-eight, Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis, at the court of Ludovico. Ambrogio was court painter to the Sforza family and had achieved some success. Ambrogio recognized in the handsome stranger from Florence, however, the touch of genius, and he realized that his own talents would be furthered by learning from Leonardo. The two young men decided to pool their abilities. Ambrogio offered both lodging and a studio; and, in association with his two half-brothers, one a woodcarver, another a miniaturist, and his elder brother, a minter of coins, they would not lack for commissions. Commissions weren’t long in coming. On April 25, 1483, a contract was signed between Bartolommeo degli Scarlione, a prior of the Fraternity of the Immaculate Conception, and Ambrogio and Leonardo for an altarpiece. The fee was two hundred ducats, with a promise of more if it were delivered on time and was satisfactory to the Fraternity. Delivery date was to be December 8, 1484. Ambrogio was to paint the altar wings and Leonardo the center piece—a picture of the Blessed Virgin and Child.