Eternal Gardens Journal | Eternal Gardens

The Da Vinci Notes

Da Vinci Notes 19: Engines for the Duke, and the Most Bestial Madness

I offered the Lord Ludovico ten engines of war and only then a painting. Here is what I promised, what I drew, what was never built, and what I refused to write down.

Leonardo's letter to Ludovico Sforza, the giant crossbow of 42 braccia, the armoured car and its gearing, and why he called war a most bestial madness.

Leonardo da Vinci November 8, 2026 30 min

#Leonardo da Vinci #Da Vinci Notes #Codex Atlanticus #Military engineering #Giant crossbow #Projectile motion #Renaissance Milan #History of science

The Da Vinci Notes

Da Vinci Notes 18: The Horse: Casting the Sforza Monument

Twelve braccia of clay to the nape, two hundred thousand libbre of bronze to come, and a pit that met the water. I resolved to cast it lying down, and the metal went to war.

Leonardo's colossal horse for Francesco Sforza: the 1493 clay model, the square-cube law, the casting plan in Madrid II, the bronze sent for cannon, the French.

Leonardo da Vinci November 8, 2026 28 min

#Leonardo da Vinci #Da Vinci Notes #Sculpture #Bronze casting #Sforza #Milan #History of science