The Mechanical Sciences in Leonardo da Vinci’s Work

This paper is a tribute to the fifth centenary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. The prominent figure of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) appeared during the so-called Quattrocento (fifteenth century) of the Italian Renaissance. His main famous contemporaries are: Sandro Botticeli (1445-1510), Rafael Sanzio (1483-1520), Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564), and Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527). Florence had been a remarkable city since the previous century and was the political, economic, and cultural center of its region. Humanist and naturalist thoughts were relevant and a kind of driving force throughout this period, resulting in a vast development of the sciences, arts, and technology. In this paper, only Leonardo’s production in the mechanical sciences will be presented, in both the theoretical field and applied mechanics, including designs and machine constructions even if unfinished.