Comune di Vinci
Logo del Museo Leonardiano di Vinci
Follow us
Search
Logo del Museo Leonardiano di Vinci

Archives: Opera

Un’opera al museo

Lightweight winch

Ladislao Reti, Federico Antonello, Nino Terreni

1964

Conceived by Brunelleschi for the construction works for the Florence Cathedral dome, the lightweight winch was utilized for hoisting modest loads. It could lift a 1200 kg weight at a speed of 3 meters per second. The machine is powered by four men who, by moving the two horizontal rods, turn a large toothed wheel meshing with a vertical wheel equipped with innovative friction-reducing cylindrical bearings. The lifting ropes wrap around the central drum, one supporting the load, the other supporting the counterweight. Thanks to the pulley fitted into the horizontal wheel, the lifting ropes can run upward without obstructing the movement of the bars.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Construction site machinery
Material
Carved wood, iron, cotton ropes, stone
Measures
Width: 101 cm, Length: 72 cm, Depth: 43.5 cm
Storage location
Palazzina Uzielli
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus, f. 105v
Inventory number
N° scheda OA: 00000028
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Palazzina Uzielli, first floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/Codex-atlanticus/0105-v/

Related exhibits

Three-speed winch

Lightweight winch

1964
Swivel crane

Lightweight winch

1966
Rotating central-fulcrum crane for the cathedral lantern

Lightweight winch

2004
Counterweighted swivel crane

Lightweight winch

1987
Device for raising poles or posts

Lightweight winch

1978
The Arts in Florence

Lightweight winch
Tutte le opere

Last update: 17 September 2025, 12:11

Three-speed winch

Ladislao Reti, Nino Terreni, Federico Antonello

1964

Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi around 1420, this winch was used in the construction works for the dome of the Florence Cathedral, for hoisting and lowering very heavy loads.

The machine is composed of a wooden structure anchored to the ground. It is powered by a pair of oxen turning in a circle, actuating a moving shaft with an endless screw device connected to two horizontal wheels. By means of the gears connected to the endless screw, it was possible to change the direction of the winch’s rotation, thus causing the load to rise or lower, without having to detach the oxen from the yoke. Another feature of the machine is the presence of three drums, or cylindrical axes, on which the cords for raising or lowering the loads wrap and unwrap. Each has a different diameter, allowing the winch to work with different forces and at different speeds depending on the load to be handled.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Construction site machinery
Material
Carved and turned wood, cotton cords, brass, stone, and copper
Measures
Width: 96 cm, Length: 86.5 cm, Depth: 57.7 cm.
Storage location
Palazzina Uzielli
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus, f. 1083 v
Inventory number
Record no. OA: 00000027
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Palazzina Uzielli, first floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/Codex-atlanticus/1083-v/

Related exhibits

Counterweighted swivel crane

Three-speed winch

1987
Device for raising poles or posts

Three-speed winch

1978
The Arts in Florence

Three-speed winch
Lightweight winch

Three-speed winch

1964
Swivel crane

Three-speed winch

1966
Rotating central-fulcrum crane for the cathedral lantern

Three-speed winch

2004
Tutte le opere

Last update: 19 June 2025, 12:05

Aerial screw

Made by
Scuola di Costruzioni ed Esperienze Aeronautiche di Guidonia

1938

Made by the Scuola di Costruzioni ed Esperienze Aeronautiche at Guidonia and donated to the Museum in 1938, the aerial screw is one of Leonardo’s best known designs, long interpreted as the earliest anticipation of the modern helicopter.

The screw is made of a spiral-shaped linen canvas arranged around a vertical mast, inserted onto a circular platform. By running on the platform and pushing the horizontal bars connected to a central mast, a number of men can operate this screw.
This project is part of the study of the physical and chemical characteristics of air: Leonardo reached the conclusion that air can be compressed and that it has its own material thickness. He therefore retained that a screw-shaped device, if rapidly rotated, could rise in flight by screwing itself into the thickness of the air, in exactly the same manner a common screw can screw into another material.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Flight studies
Material
Wood, iron
Measures
Width: 135 cm, Length: 49 cm, Depth: 27 cm.
Storage location
Counts Guidi’s castle
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Manuscript B (France), f. 83 v
Inventory number
Record n. OA: 00000006
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, ground floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/manuscript-b-in-the-Institut-de-France/0083-v/

Related exhibits

Large jointed wing

Aerial screw

1983
Sfera volante

Aerial screw

2010
Studio di ala battente

Aerial screw

1929
Flying machine

Aerial screw

1929
Tutte le opere

Last update: 24 June 2025, 09:12

The Chiaravalle tower clock

Luigi Boldetti

1975

During his stay in Milan, Leonardo devoted many drawings to the study of sophisticated mechanisms for the planetary clock at the nearby abbey of Chiaravalle.

In this model, the moving organ is located inside a wooden structure, where a weight lowers, causing a drum to turn, setting into motion a series of shafts and toothed wheels that carry out ordered sequences of movements.
The internal mechanisms correspond to three clock faces on the outer structure: two smaller ones, for counting the minutes and hours; while on the largest, with its 12 zodiacal divisions for the year, dedicated moving hands show the positions of the sun and moon and the lunar phases, as well as other astrological and astronomical indications.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Clocks
Material
Wood carving, stone, iron, metal sheet
Measures
Width: 81.5 cm, Length: 75 cm; Depth: 52.7 cm.
Storage location
Palazzina Uzielli
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus, f. 1111v
Inventory number
Record no. OA: 00000008
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Palazzina Uzielli, first floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/Codex-atlanticus/1111-v/

Related exhibits

Clock mechanism

The Chiaravalle tower clock

1952
Anchor Escapement for Clock

The Chiaravalle tower clock

1963
Tutte le opere

Last update: 19 June 2025, 14:46

Large jointed wing

Fausto Colombo, Made by
IBM Italia, Giovanni Sacchi

1983

The huge jointed wing hanging in the center of the Museum gallery is taken from some drawings in the Codex Atlanticus, even though these drawings have not made possible a complete interpretation of the machine. This project bears witness to a phase of study when Leonardo was attempting to combine gliding flight with broad movable components controlled by human force using a system of control lines.

After having abandoned his studies for flight by means of beating wings, Leonardo began experimenting with gliding flight and designed a machine blending the two systems together, one that could exploit air currents, like a glider. The wings of the machine, similar in form to those of bats or large birds, are made up of thin ribbings of reeds, held together by cords.
In imitation of the anatomy of birds, the internal sectors of the wings are fixed and rigid, to support the weight, while those on the outside are movable and flexible, having the purpose of guiding the direction. The pilot is supported in vertical position at the center of the device by a harness, where he uses his weight to adjust the machine’s equilibrium. Through a simple system of control lines and pulleys the pilot can determine flight direction.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Flight studies
Material
Carved wood, bamboo cane, hemp ropes, canvas, leather
Measures
Wingspan: 12 m x 3.60 m
Storage location
Counts Guidi’s castle
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex on the Flight of Birds, f. 15 v and 8 r
Inventory number
Record n. OA: 00000049
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, ground floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/codice-sul-volo-degli-uccelli/0008-r/

Related exhibits

Aerial screw

Large jointed wing

1938
Sfera volante

Large jointed wing

2010
Studio di ala battente

Large jointed wing

1929
Flying machine

Large jointed wing

1929
Tutte le opere

Last update: 24 June 2025, 09:06

Counterweighted swivel crane

Made by
Università di Firenze, Facoltà di Architettura

1987

This machine designed by Filippo Brunelleschi represents an important evolution with respect to the medieval stella-type crane. It was used to accurately place heavy marble blocks destined for the construction of the lantern of the Florence Cathedral’s dome. At over 20 meters high, the crane was operated by no fewer than four teams of workers.

One team stood on the ground and was responsible for maneuvering a long oblique beam (rudder) to cause the crane to swivel, up to 360°. Two more teams powered the endless screws to cause the load and counterweight to move simultaneously in opposite directions, always keeping the machine in balance, while the last team lifted and lowered the load by turning a vertical screw.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Construction site machinery
Material
Carved wood, iron, and pietra serena stone
Measures
Width: 103 cm, Length: 59 cm; Depth: 55 cm.
Storage location
Palazzina Uzielli
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus, f. 965r
Inventory number
Object Record No: 00000026
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Palazzina Uzielli, first floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/Codex-atlanticus/0965-r/

Related exhibits

Lightweight winch

Counterweighted swivel crane

1964
Rotating central-fulcrum crane for the cathedral lantern

Counterweighted swivel crane

2004
Three-speed winch

Counterweighted swivel crane

1964
Device for raising poles or posts

Counterweighted swivel crane

1978
Swivel crane

Counterweighted swivel crane

1966
The Arts in Florence

Counterweighted swivel crane
Tutte le opere

Last update: 19 September 2025, 11:53

Stabilizer

Luigi Boldetti

1970

Leonardo designed a highly complex apparatus for regulating the energy produced by a spring used for winding a clock. The model consists of a sturdy wooden frame housing a series of mechanisms activated by a spring located inside a broad drum-like cylinder.

This cylinder has a toothed crown at its top, which meshes with a conical gear set on a vertical shaft whose ends consist of two worm screws. The continuous meshing is ensured by the worm screw at the base of the vertical shaft. This worm screw, by moving a toothed wheel that engages with the rack section, drags the horizontal axle to which the cylindrical drum with the internal spring is fixed.  As the spring gradually unwinds and the cone-shaped gear descends, the axle with the cylinder moves to the right. The crown on the cylinder engages with the toothed coils of the cone, which, on account of their increasing in width in the upward direction, compensate for the decrease in speed of the crown itself. The rotation transmitted to the vertical pinion to the left of the cone gear is thus maintained at a constant speed.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Mechanisms and instruments
Material
Carved wood, partially turned, metal
Measures
Width: 87 cm, Length: 89 cm, Depth: 35 cm.
Storage location
Counts Guidi’s castle
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Madrid Codex I, f. 14 r
Inventory number
Record n. OA: 00000045
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, ground floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/madrid-I/0014-r/

Related exhibits

Apparecchio per tirare

Stabilizer

1971
Argano a martelli

Stabilizer

1968
Cuscinetto volvente reggispinta

Stabilizer

2010
Dispositivo anti frizione

Stabilizer

2009
Laminatoio

Stabilizer

1952
Macina con burattello

Stabilizer

1972
Tutte le opere

Last update: 24 June 2025, 08:52

Flying machine

Made by
Scuola di Costruzioni ed Esperienze Aeronautiche di Guidonia

1929

Made by the Scuola di Costruzioni ed Esperienze Aeronautiche in Guidonia and donated to the Museo Leonardiano in 1938, this model reproduces a flying machine with beating wings conceived by Leonardo in the late 1480s. It is a part of his first phase of reflections on flight, characterized by projects involving the use of human power alone to operate devices capable of reproducing the beating of wings.

This machine’s pilot is positioned and secured with a strap on the rectangular platform, to which the complex mechanisms guiding the wing movement are connected. By thrusting with his feet into the stirrups, he actuates a system of cords and pulleys, causing the wings to go up and down. The same movement automatically causes the flexing, along with a small rotation, of the wings themselves, so that the wings’ surface is presented edge on during the rise, in order more easily to cut through the air, then becoming flat during the descent, in order better to compress it. To facilitate the extension of the wings, springs are applied at the junctures of the sections, causing them to return automatically to the starting position.

Technical informations

Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Flight studies
Material
Carved/partially painted walnut wood, leather, cotton rope, iron
Measures
Height: 35 cm, Length: 87 cm.
Storage location
Counts Guidi’s castle
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Manuscript B (France), f. 74 v
Inventory number
Record n. OA: 00000005
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, ground floor
Digital archive
https://www.leonardodigitale.com/en/browse/manuscript-b-in-the-Institut-de-France/0074-v/

Related exhibits

Large jointed wing

Flying machine

1983
Aerial screw

Flying machine

1938
Sfera volante

Flying machine

2010
Studio di ala battente

Flying machine

1929
Tutte le opere

Last update: 24 June 2025, 08:47

How clear is the information on this page?

Thank you, your feedback will help us improve the service!

What were your favorite aspects?1/2

Dove hai incontrato le maggiori difficoltà?1/2

Do you want to add more details?2/2

Enter a maximum of 200 characters

This website is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use di applies.