Leonardo da Vinci: inventions that continue to amaze the world today
Three quarters of his works have been lost or destroyed, leaving a vast amount still to be learned about this extraordinary genius. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) stands as one of history’s most influential figures. He was a painter, sculptor, engineer, scientist, mathematician, philosopher, poet, and anatomist. The scope of his interests was astonishing, and his forward-thinking mindset propelled him to imagine machines and tools that would lay the groundwork for landmark advances centuries later, benefiting science and humanity alike.
A remarkable exhibition in Alicante presents Leonardo da Vinci’s machines, with installations housed in the Provincial Council hall and in the adjacent gardens of the Provincial Palace. Visitors embark on a tour through the Renaissance master’s universe, encountering some of his most remarkable inventions in tangible form to illuminate their inner workings.
The exhibition runs until November 1 and features more than fifty machine replicas brought to life by a team led by the Italian pioneer and inspired by the original newspaper depictions. The collection also includes around twenty paintings by the artist, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, complemented by numerous sketches and drawings of his creations, compiled in several codices held by major libraries, including the National Library in Madrid. These works represent some of the era’s most important engineering theses.
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Leonardo da Vinci: inventions that continue to astonish the world today
inventions
The display showcases mirrored interiors with refractions that create infinite reflections, a dome-building device, a jib crane, and the air screw. These concepts foreshadow ideas later used to imagine helicopters. The collection also includes war devices and water-focused mechanisms, such as a hydraulic saw and an Archimedean screw. “This screw was already in use, but Leonardo perfected it,” notes Xavier Costa, curator of the exhibition, during a presentation with the provincial president and a culture representative. “It was used to raise water from wells, and in the city he designed, he refined it to lift water to the tops of buildings.”
Room: rowing vessel. “A system we would later see echoed in the steamships of the Mississippi in the nineteenth century,” Costa explains. The same principle is in play: utilizing force to move a vessel, whether by oars or by a controlled current. He adds that the underlying ideas connect to later mechanical innovations, underscoring how Leonardo’s concepts anticipated later developments in engineering and machinery.
Costa emphasizes that the ideas Leonardo documented later found practical echoes in mechanics, highlighting how similar principles persist in modern designs. He regrets that much of Leonardo’s painting was only fully appreciated after the Louvre’s collections began to receive wider attention. “Somehow, much of his knowledge remained hidden while collectors pursued their masterpieces, but in time, scientific curiosity and encyclopedic cataloging helped preserve aspects of his work.” He suggests that if more attention had been paid earlier, the helicopter might have emerged in the nineteenth century instead of centuries later.
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Leonardo da Vinci in 10 works
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international and free sample
For Carlos Mazon, the exhibition is a “privilege” that brings the world’s greatest minds closer to audiences and offers a rare opportunity to meet one of humanity’s most prolific geniuses. One observer even quips that Leonardo invented a time machine, using it to travel from the twenty-first century back to the fifteenth, given how many of his inventions feel centuries ahead of their time.
The Diputación de Alicante defends the value of funding cultural projects as essential, describing this initiative as a high-priority investment in the arts. The event, according to Julia Parra, highlights the exhibition’s uniqueness and free spirit, positioning Alicante as a vibrant cultural destination once again. With this ambitious proposal, the organization signals a new phase in its annual program, aiming to support local talent while staging large projects that match the caliber of major capitals, now accessible to the public in this venue.