Watercraft with paddle wheels and wind blade system
Made by
Università di Firenze, Facoltà di Ingegneria, Dipartimento di Meccanica e Tecnologie industriali, Made by
Etruria Musei
2010
This model is based on an anonymous 16th-century drawing that was probably a copy of a project by Leonardo. The vessel moves by means of an original system of three pairs of blades: the larger wheels are set into motion by the wind, and these actuate the sets of smaller paddle wheels through the engagement of pegged wheels, lantern pinions, and a crankshaft system.
The design of this watercraft arises from suggestive memories evoked by the mysterious water vessel called the Badalone, created by Filippo Brunelleschi for transporting blocks of marble from Pisa to Florence. The watercraft, which had neither oars nor sails, sank to the bottom of the Arno in the stretch between Castelfranco di Sotto and Empoli.
Technical informations
Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Material
Wood
Measures
Width: 60 cm, Height: 44.5 cm; Depth: 41.5 cm.
Storage location
Relationship with the original work
Source: Anonymous, Uffizi Drawings and Prints Department, no. 4085
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, first floor