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110 Studies for a Madonna with a Cat, c. 1478-1480 Pen and ink over black chalk 274 x 190 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1860-67-16-98 111 Sketches of a Child with a Cat c. 1478-1480 (verso of Cat. 113) Pen and ink, 206 x 143 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1857-1-10-1v 112 Studies for a Madonna with a Cat c. 1478-1480 Pen and ink, 228 x 165 mm Bayonne, Musee Bonnat 113 Sketches of a Woman with a Cat c. 1478-1480 (recto of Cat. IIII) Pen and ink, 206 x 143 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1857-1-10-1r c. 1478-1480 Pen and ink over metalpoint in reddish prepared paper 171 x 218 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12569R) 115 Study for a Madonna with a Cat c. 1478-1480 Pen and ink, 125 x 105 mm Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, Inv. 421E recto 116 Study of a Madonna with a Cat c. 1478-1480 (recto of Cat. 117) Pen and ink over stylus underdrawing, 132 x 95 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1856-6-21-1v 118 Sketch of a Woman and Child with a Bowl of Fruit 1478-1480 350 x 250 mm Paris, Musee du Lpuvre, Cabinet des Dessins, Inv. 486 119 Study for a Madonna with a Cat C. 1478-1480 Pen and ink, 75 xs 70 mm Private Collection 120 Studies of a Old Man, 1478-1480 Red chalk, 138 x 195 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12568r) 121 Studies for a Woman and Head and of Child in Profile and Machines c. 1478-1480 Pen and ink over metalpoint on a reddish prepared surface 198 x 150 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1860-6-16-100v 122 Study of a Man and Woman with the St. John and of Heads in Profile and other ------- c. 1478-1480 9recto of Cat. 185) Pen and ink, 405 x 290 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12276r) 123 Sheet of Studies of Sketches of Bust of A Woman c. 1478-1480 Silverpoint on reddish prepared paper, 232 x 190 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12513r) 124 Studies of a Virgin Worshipping the Christ Child c. 1482-1485 Pen and ink over preliminary pencil drawing, 195 x 162 mm New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers fund 1917 (17.142.1) 125 Study of a Man Blowing a Trumpet in another’s ears, and two figures in conversation c. 1480-1482 Pen and ink, 258 x 192 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1895-9-15-478 126 Study of Mary Magdalene, 1480-1483 Pen and ink, 135 x 80 mm London, The Courtauld Institute Gallery, Sommerset House 127 Study of a Kneeling Angel , c. 1480-1483 Pen and ink, 125 x 60 mm London, British Museum Inv. 1913-6-17-1 128 Study of Hanged Bernado di Bandino Baroncelli, December 1479 Pen and ink, 192 x 78 mm Bayonne, Musee Bonnat Inv. 659 129 Studies of Figures and Decorations c. 1480-1482 Pen and ink over metalpoint on prepared paper 233 x 180 mm Bayonne, Musee Bonnat 130 Sketches and Figures for Last Supper c. 1480 Pen and ink over metalpoint on prepared paper 278 x 208 mm Paris, Musee du Louvre Cabinet des Dessins, Inv. 2022 131 Three Seated Figures and Studies of Machines c. 1480-1482 Metalpoint on prepared paper 206 x 181 mm Oxford, Ashmolean Museum c. 1480-1482 Red chalk, 101 x 98 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12703r) 133 Drawing of a Group of Figures 1480-1482 Metalpoint on reddish prepared paper 85 x 125 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12702r) 134 Study of Farm Labourers at Work c. 1492-1494 Red chalk, 96 x 268 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12643r) 135 Study of a Seated Male and Sketch of a Child with a Lamb in its arms c. 1500-1506 Black chalk, 173 x 140 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12540r) 136 Study of Two Seated Youths and a Washerwoman c. 1506 Red chalk, 146 x 94 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12648r) 137 Study of Figures in Action c. 1506-1508 Pen and ink and black chalk 201 x 2130 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12644r) 138 Study of Figures in Action Pen and ink and black chalk 201 x 130 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12644r) 139 Study of Figures in Action c. 1506-1508 Black chalk, 181x126 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12645r) 140 Study of Figures in Action Black chalk, 181 x 126 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12645v) 141 Head and Shoulders of a Christ Figure Metalpoint on grey prepared paper, 116 x 91 mm Venice, Galleria dell’ Accademia Inv. 231 c. 1480/1481 Pen and ink over metalpoint on prepared paper 174 x 64 mm Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle 143 Study of a Man with a Staff (St John) c. 1476-1480 Metalpoint with white heightening on bluish prepared paper 187 x 122 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12572r) 144 Drawing after Michaelangelo’s David and Architectural Sketches, c. 1504 Pen and ink and black chalk, 270 x 201 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12591r) 145 Hercules and the Nemean Lion c. 1504-1508 Black chalk, 180 x 190 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Inv. 15630
645 Studies of the Functioning of a Wing 1505 Pen and ink 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 17r 644 Studies of Various Phases of Bird Flights c. 1505 Pen and ink, 290 x 227 mm Pen and ink, 290 x 227 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol 845r/308r-b 643 Studies on the movement of the Wing on the Effect of the Wind 14 March, 1405 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 17v 641 Studies of the Mechanism of a Wing and its Generation of Power 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 16v 640 Notes on Physical Strength of Birds and a Comparison with the Strength of Man 1505 Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 16r 639 Thoughts and Studies regarding the Centre of Gravity in Birds 1505 Pen and ink and Red chalk 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 15v 638 Comparison between the Wings of Bats and Birds 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 15r 637 Notes on the Generation of Power by Birds’ Wings 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 14v 636 Notes on the Aerodynamics of Bird Flight 1505 Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 14r 635 Notes on Composition of Birds’ Wings 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioeca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 13v 634 Notes on Gliding in Bird Flight 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 13r 633 Notes on Dangers on crashing and on the Stability of the Flying Machine Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 17r 628 Notes on Ascending and Descending Flight 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 10r 627 Notes on Influence of Wind on the Flight of Birds 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 9v 626 Notes on Influence of Gusts of Winds on the Flight of Birds 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 9r 625 Notes on Position of a Bird in Flight in Relationship to the Wind 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 8v 624 Notes on Equilibrium of Birds During Descent Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 7v 623 Notes on Position of a Bird in Flight in Relationship to the Wind 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 8r 618 Thoughts on Balance While Flying in a Flying Machine 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 5r 619 Notes on the Beating of Birds’ Wings 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 5v 620 Notes on Birds Flight in Various Wind Comnditions 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 6r 621 Notes on Safe Flying Altitude and on Wing Construction 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 7r 622 Notes on Optimum Flying Altitude and on Wing Construction 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 6v 610 Studies on Gravity and Balance 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 1r 611 Notes on the Speed of Objects 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 1v 612 Studies on Gravity 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 2r 613 Studies on Gravity and Balance 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 2v 614 Studies on Gravity and Motion 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 3r 615 Notes on Material Strengtyh of Poles and Ropes 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 3v
616 Notes on Ration Between Weight and Force 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 4r 617 Studies on Characterstics of Birds’ Wings 1505 Pen and ink, 213 x 154 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Treatise on the Flight of Birds, fol 4v 593 Design for A Sharpnel Mortars with Explosive Shells c. 1495-1499 Pen and ink and Indian ink, 238 x 200 mm Mil, biblioteca Ambroisana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 33r/9v-a 592 Row of Four Mortars Firing Stones Into the Courtyard of a Fort c.Pen and ink and Indian ink 329 x 480 mm Windsor Castle, royal Library (RL 12275r) 587 Sheets of Studies of Foot Soldiers and Horsemen in Combat, and Halberds c. 1485-1488 Venice, Galleria dell’ Accademia 588 Study of Halberds c. 1487-1490 Pen and ink, 210 x 144 mm Paris, Bibliotheque de’ Institut de France, Codex Ashburnham 1875/1 (MS B 2184), folio A.1 589 Study of Halberds c. 1487-1490 Pen and ink, 210 x 160 mm Paris, Bibliotheque de’ Institut de France, Codex Ashburnham 1875/1 (MS B 2184), folio B.1 590 Study of Halberds c. 1487-1490 Pen and ink, 212 x 146 mm Paris, Bibliotheque de’ Institut de France, Codex Ashburnham 1875/1 (MS B 2184), folio A.2 580 Scythed Chariot c. 1483-1485 Pen and ink, 210 x 290 mm Turin, Biblioteca Reale, Inv. 15583r 581 Construction of a Bridge c. 1485-1488 Pen and ink, 216 x 300 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 55r/16v-a 582 Military and Architectural Studies and Sketch of a Church (Florence Cathedral?) c. 1487-1488 or earlier Pen and ink, 288 x 208 and 228 x 214 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 59 a-r/17v-a and 22r-a 583 Study of a Swivelling Rope Bridge c. 1485-1490 Pen and ink, 250 x 206 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 855r/312r-a 584 Design of A Steam fired Cannon c. 1487-1489 Paris, Bibliotheque de Institut de France MS B 2173, fol. 33r Codex Atlanticus, fol. 55r/16v-a 585 Design for a Catapult c. 1490 Pen and ink, 162 x 290 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 149-8a-r u 148b-r/53r-b 586 Instruction on Casting Cannon c. 1480(?) Pen and ink, 265 x 191 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 61r/19r-b 576 Designs for Various Types of Cannon c. 1485 Pen and ink, 282 x 205 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12652r) 577 Study with Battle Chariot, a Soldier with Shield and a Horsemen with Three Lances c. 1485-1488 Pen and ink, 282 x 205 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12653r) 578 Study with Shields for Foot Soldiers and an Exploding Bomb c. 1485-1488 Pen and ink, 200 x 273 mm Paris, Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts 579 Design for a Scythed Chariot and Armoured Car c. 1485-1488
Pen and ink, 173 x 246 mm London, British Museum 569 Military Machine to Catapult Stones c. 1485 Pen and ink, 179 x 243 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 160b-r/57v-b 570 Study with Hoist for A Cannon in an Ordinance Faundry c. 1487 Pen and ink on brownish prepared paper, 250 x 183 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12647r) 571 Machine for Hurling Stones and Bombs c. 1485 Pen and ink, 172 x 305 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 145r/51v-b 572 Design for a Catapult c. 1485 Pen and ink, 220 x 300 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 182a-r/64v-a 573 Military Machine with Sixteen Crossbows c. 1485 Pen and ink, 220 x 300 mm Milan, Bilioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 182b-r1r/64v-b 574 Design for a Treadwheel with Four Crossbows (Revolving Crossbow) c. 1485 Pen and ink, 134 x 180 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1070r/387r-a-b 575 Design for A Giant Crossbow c. 1485 Pen and ink, 203 x 275 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 149b-r/53v-b 562 Mechanism for Drawing Crossbows c. 1478 Pen and ink, 206 x 266 mm Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, Inv. 446 Ev 563 Design for a Siege Machine with Covered Bridge c. 1480 Pen and ink, 268 x 194 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1o84r/391v-a 564 Machine to Prevent Fortress Walls Being Scaled c. 1480 Pen and ink, 265 x 179-205 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 89r/32v-a 565 Mechanism for Repulsing Scaling Ladders c. 1480 Pen and ink over chalk, 297 x 195 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 139r/49v-b Sheets of Studies with Multi-barrelled Guns c. 1482 Pen and ink, 265 x 179-205 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 157r/56v-a 558 A Mechanical Military Drum c. 1493 Red chalk, 91 x 186 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 837r/306v-a 559 Drawing of a Keyboard Instument c. 1494 Pen and ink, 238 x 96 mm Pen and ink, 265 x 179-205 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 586r/218r-c 560 Fountain consisting of a column topped with a stone vase crowned by a Woman and Water Basin c. 1513 Pen and ink over red chalk on blue prepared paper, 172 x 63 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12691r) 561 Fountain consisting of an column crowned by a Man, Woman c. 1513 Pen and ink over red chalk on blue prepared paper, 150 x 60 mm Windsor Castle, Royal Library (RL 12690r) 555 Machine for Manufacturing Ropes, c.1513-1516 Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 13r/2v-b 556 Winch for a Goods Lift and Mechanism for a Roasting Spit c. 1480 Pan and ink, 255 x 191 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 21r/5v-a 557 Hydraulic Device and Study of a Man in front of a ‘Perspectograph”, c. 1480-1482 Matalpoint pen and ink, 276 x 216 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 5r/ex-Galbiati 1 bis r-a 554 Machine for Manufacturing ropes c. 1513-1516 Pen and ink, 169 x 372 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 12r/2v-a 548 Design for a Drill c. 1487-1490 Pen and ink, 231 x 165 mm Paris, Bibliotheque de Institut de France, MS B 2173,fol. 47v 549 Sketch for a Rolling Mill c. 1500-1510 Pen and ink, 300 x 225 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 10r/2r-a 550 Studies of Toothed Gears and fior a Hygrometer, c. 1485 Pen and ink, 278 x 385 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 30v/8v-b 551 Designs for a Spinning Machine c. 1497/98 Pen and ink, 414 x 287 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1090v/393v-a 552 Study for an Odometer, before 1500 Pen and ink, 265 x 195 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1b-r/1r-b 553 Drawing for a Clothcutting Machine c. 1495 Pen and ink, 285 x 408 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1105r/397r-a 544 Excavator for Canal Construction (own design) c. 1503 Pen and ink and Indian ink, 280 x 400 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 4r/1v-b 545 Excavator for Canal Construction (based on design of another engineer) c. 1503 Pen and ink and Indian ink, 230 x 390 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 3r/1v-a 546 Sketch for File-cutting Machine (first draft) c. 1480 Pen and ink, 390 x 284 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 1022v/366v-c 547 Drawing of a File-cutting Machine (finished drawing) c. 1503 Pen and ink and Indian ink, 280 x 400 mm Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Codex Atlanticus, fol. 24r/6r-b 538 Drawing of an Oil Press and Oil Mill 1493-1497 Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 46v 539 Spinning Wheel c. 1493-1497 Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 65v 540 Door Hinges Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 66v 541 Wooden Armouring and Rocket-launching device 1493-1497 Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 81v 542 Study of the Mechanics of Spinning Wheel Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 67v 543 Study for a Waterwheel Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 142r 533 Device for Raising a Beam 1493-1497 Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 43v 534 Hoist for a Beam Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 44r 535 Hoist with Movable Rollers and Rope Winch Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 45r 537 Handles and Hinges for a Two-way-opening door Pen and ink, 213 x 150 mm Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, fol. 67r
In the case of drapery studies, however, things look different. Only the drawing reproduced here as Cat. 181 including hatching that proves it to be the work of a left-handed artist and only the Drapery Study for a Kneeling figure from Windsor (Cat. 182) has an unbroken provenance. In contrast, the other 16 studies (Cat. 166-180, 183) in many respects stands apart from Leonardo’s oeuvre. These studies are all executed on linen, which meant they could not be worked using the usual materials of crayon or pen but only with a brush. The linen was first evenly coated with a brown or grey preparation, moreover, meaning that the draughtsman who had to work from dark to light. After first laying down the outlines and areas of shadows in black, the study had to be built up in lighter shades, finishing off with white heightening. This method of working is thus the very opposite of the usual drawing by hand, for on paper the areas that are lighter are mostly those that have been left blank, whereas the dark areas are those of particularly heavy sketching. The method adopted in the present drapery stidies is comparable, on the other hand, with the technique employed in 15th century painting, in which areas destined to receive draperies were given a dark ground before the artist embarked on the actual painting.As the unfinished Adoration of the Magi (Cat. X) shows, this was a technique that Leonardo clearly preferred , since he has in places applied the preparatory layer of paint so thickly so that the corresponding area appear almost black. The field of superficial anatomy, covering the interplay of the muscles and bones visible just beneath the skin, is one naturally interest to the artist. Unlike the study of inner parts of human beings, surface anatomy was made a fixed part of training. A considerable number of Leonardo’s drawings reflect the 15th century appetite for allergorical representations. Viewers, patrons and artists alike were fascinated by the possibility of overlaying images with more or less veiled meanings. This interest manifested itself in decorative schemes on buildings and within interiors, where allegorical figures and historical and mythological paintings served to underpin the social and political aspirations of the patrons who commissioned them. This tendency towards allegory also revealed itself in imprese, coded emblems that – often via a meaningful synthesis of image and word – contained subtle messages. When it comes to complex allegories with no accompanying text, therefore, it follows that tyhere is much room for debate. The drawing reproduced here as Cat. 405, for example, a very carefully worked sheet from Leonardo’s later years. There is disagreement over the meaning of the ship in the centre: does stand for fickle fortune, blowing with the wind, or is it – in line with a widespread metaphor of Leonardo’s day – the ship of the church, whose helmsman, evidently is a wolf, is making for the imperial eagle? Hmankind’s age-old dream of able to fly was to wehich Leonardo regularly returned from about 14865 until about 1515, as evidenced not only from numerous sketches and highly finished studies of flying machines and bird flight, but also by his copious notes on virtually on every aspect of flight. Although Leonardo, in order to escape the fate of Perugian colleaugue, envisaged testing his flying machines over water and recommended a life jacket for this purpose, there is no suggestion he took test flight himself. In his earliest studies on flying, which roughly date from 1485 and 1490, Leonardo envisaged a machine powered comparatively directly by the pilot (Cat. 594).He rapidly came to the conclusion, however, that a man would be unable to lift himself off the ground by the power of his arms alone. For this reason he also began to explore means of harnessing the pilot’s leg power and delivering it to the wings of the flying machine. (Cat. 594, 595, 597, 598, 600). The pilot, lying on a board (Cat. 595 and 597) or suspended horizontally by a belt or semicircular hoop (Cat. 594 and 598), placeshis feet in two strirups at the rear of the flying machine. Pushing down on one of the stirrups makes the wings go up, while pushing on the other makes the wing go down. The movements of the pilot’s legs are thereby transmitted via rods to the front section of the machine, where they are mechanically converted into the upbeat and downbeat of the wings. In his studies Leonardo also illustrates the possibility of harnessing additional powers from the arms by means of a hand turned crank, which is directly connected to the wings of diagonal rods (Cat. 598 and 600). The same principle can be seen in the huge flying machine (Cat. 601) with two sets of wings with a total span of 20 meters. In this version the pilot stands upright in a gondola and works the two sets of wings with the stepping motion of his feet and the action of his arms. Here, as in number of other designs for flying machines (Cat. 597 and 600), power is transmitted to the wings partly via ropes running over wooden rollers. In a detailed sketch in the top right-hand corner, he shows a combination rudder whose horizontal surface allows the pilot to adjust his altitude and whose vertical face permits him to determine the direction of flight. The head of the pilot himself is briefly indicated at the upper end, held in place by a sling. The same mechanism is reproduced in the drawing of the flying machine. As an alternative to the lift provided by wings, Leonardo also considered the air-screw (Cat. 599), whose mechanical principle he adopted from the treatise Deingeniis by the Science engineer Mariano Taccola. Twenty uyears after emabarking on his flight studies , Leonardo will still be grappling with this fundamental problem. While his muscle-propelled flying machines never had a chance of getting off the ground, Leonardo’s designs for wings, and parchutes, and his observations on the nature of lift, came strikingly close to the experiences and observations of later pioneers of aviation. Word uccelo to mean both the bird and the flying machine to be constructed. Leonardo also makes notes on the ways in which birds steer their flight and on ascending and descending flight and diving. The wings, which he based on the anatomy of bats (Cat. 596, 602, 606, 607) in particular, resemble the machines built by Otto Lilienthal. Virgin of the Rocks (Cat. 15-16) which might almost be seen as experiments in different effects of light and shade. Trhe extraordinary importance of light and shade as artistic tools with which to lend objects in painting the appearance of three-dimensionability was emphasized. In conclusion, attention should also be drawn to the highly finished nature of the studies reproduced here. The series of sketches at the start of this section (Cat. 378-380, 386, 388, 389) may be seen as typical of this type of work. Leonardo sometimes made clay models, draping the figures with rags dipped in plaster, and then drawing them painstakingly on fine Rheims cloth or prepared linen. |