Leonardo's ingenuity, the machines. It is the exhibition with which the city of Gubbio celebrates the art and genius of Leonardo da Vinci, welcoming the interactive reconstructions of its forward-looking machines and inventions coming by Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence. The initiative is promoted by the Municipality of Gubbio and Gubbio Culture and Multiservices in collaboration with the Florentine museum itself. the exhibition, hosted at Palazzo dei Consoli and curated by Gabriele Niccolai, it will go on until next May.
Leonardo's machines, the inventions of a genius
The exhibition offers the opportunity to discover the inspiration of Leonardo, the greatest man of the Renaissance, one of the most innovative and eclectic minds in the history of humanity. Born on April 15, 1452, he was a pioneer in research and technology studies. With his ideas he has been able to combine artistic activity and scientific activity in an admirable way, applying his knowledge of mechanics to civil and military engineering works and dedicating himself with passion to the studies of anatomy, biology, mathematics and physics. The Florentine family Niccolai, starting in 1960, he decided to give life to the machines designed by Leonardo in his Codes, combining artisan knowledge with academic research.
Leonardo drew the plans for some of the most important innovations in the history of engineering. They can be admired in the exhibition at Palazzo dei Consoli over 50 scale models of various sizes, faithfully reconstructed by hand using the materials of the time i.e. wood, cotton, brass, iron and ropes. They are the work of Carlo Niccolai and his son Gabriele, owner of the Leonardo Machinery Museum in Florence. It is military, civil engineering and hydraulic machinery, alongside studies for the human flight and curious objects. On display, among others: the odometer, the steam rotisserie, the first model of tank, the military-type arched bridge. The naval cannon, the escalator, the robot, the reflector and again the propeller, the hang glider and the parachute.
A collection with hundreds of unique models
I'm part of one prestigious collection which has over 400 unique models, reconstructed in over 50 years of research and craftsmanship. It is currently the largest collection dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci's machines and is in demand for exhibitions around the world that have already visited the United States, Brazil, South Korea and Japan. International exhibitions curated by Niccolai srl and Teknoart Florence. The Gubbio exhibition is the second stage of a great traveling tour that will continue for the next ten years.
(Photo Facebook Palazzo dei Consoli Gubbio)