Leonardo doesn't stop at the gallery

Architecture, military engineering, study, water. 28 historic models from the museum's precious collection are once again on display to the public, along with facsimiles of Leonardo's manuscripts. A new exhibition itinerary dedicated to Leonardo now sits alongside the Leonardo Gallery.

The Leonardo itinerary begins in the Leonardo Gallery, which is the heart of the Museum. It now links up with the new exhibition area on the floor below, situated next to the i.lab Leonardo. The permanent exhibition displays 28 historic models from the museum's precious collection. All of them were built between 1950 and 1952. They have been restored for this occasion, as for many years they were not on display to the public.

The themes represented in this exhibition are:

• Architecture and military engineering
• Study, measurements and work
• water

The new area also has several references to flight. Some of Leonardo's areas of study which are particularly associated with his time in Milan are illustrated through the exhibition of the models along with historical texts on Leonardo in Milan, the Last Supper, Tuscan engineers and the manuscripts.

Writing and drawing were the main ways through which Leonardo studied and analysed nature, and they are his most important legacy.
Leonardo's greatest revolution was to find a new way of depicting nature, the human body and the numerous machines that he observed or designed himself.

The exhibition gives an idea of the fascinating quality of Leonardo's manuscripts. Indeed, the facsimiles of the Codices from the Museum's library are now on display for the first time at the Museum, in the area between the interactive section and the historic section.
The facsimiles are displayed on rotation in a glass case. Not only do they contain the original text, they also reproduce the size of the pages, the weight of the paper, the exact colour shades and the hand binding.

Historic models on display

Architecture and military engineering

Angular tower with corbels
Automatic striker
Cannon with screw elevating gear
Centrally - planned churches
Circular thunderbolt
Corner of a castle
Ditch with submerged fortification
Drilling machine
Eight barrel organ
Machines for attacking defensive walls
Machine for lifting columns
Ogival projectiles
Scything wagon
Shroud cutter
The Ideal City Winch for lifting artilleries

Study, measurements and work

Ballot wheel
Machine for carving files
Machine for threading screws
Mechanical drum
Rolls for studies on friction

Water

Automatic ship-bottom breaker
Bridge channel with clapping door sluices
Diving suit
Double hull Sluice gate
Guillotine sluice-gate
Small dome for breathing and flexible pipe