Nature as Da Vinci's muse

A keen observer

Born in Vinci town, Tuscany, Italy, in 1452, Da Vinci did not receive a formal education, and nature became his childhood companion. Always carrying notebooks with him, his manuscripts covered a wide range of subjects — zoology, botany, geography, mathematics, architecture, mechanics, and more — demonstrating his boundless curiosity and continuous observation of the natural world.

Among the many subjects he studied, the possibility of human mechanical flight held particular fascination.

At the exhibition, four reconstructed flying machines that were inspired by the mechanics of bird flight in Da Vinci's manuscripts are on show. They were impossible to replicate in Da Vinci's time.

"Built by teams from China and Italy, we re-created these machines following Da Vinci's notes and designs," Cheng Hailong, one of the curators, says.

At the model of his mechanical flying bat, the team used a mirror as an axis of symmetry to present Da Vinci's complete aircraft design concept in an innovative way, because he drew the left wing of the bat flying machine, which employed rails and ropes for wing-folding.

Nearby on display is another model, inspired by the flight of eagles, in which the pilot can make the wings rotate or bend by operating the pedals and ropes' thrust, while the head and hand controls can manage the spread and closing of the wings and tail.

For Cheng, the reconstructed model of Da Vinci's spherical flying ship is another highlight, which is the earliest form of "hot air balloon". Powered by wind, the ship has a basket for the pilot in the center, like the center of gravity of a gyroscope, that always remains level.

"It reminds me of the Chinese ancient spherical incense burner with fretwork, which has a gimbal that supports the bowl in which aromatics were placed, meaning that the bowl would stay level no matter how the outside sphere rolled," Cheng says.