The 'universal cistern' water device, with a Latin verb exercise
An upper tank full of water feeds a shaft-and-conduit mechanism; a conjugation of amare fills a corner.
The sheet is dominated by a built water installation Leonardo labels a 'universal cistern' (bottino universale). An upper chamber, inscribed as being full of water, is drawn open to show a horizontal shaft crossing it, with a curved conduit rising over the top-right corner; below sits a further boxed chamber with gearing and levers set on a stepped base. In a lower corner, written with the sheet turned upside down, is an unrelated study exercise: the present-tense conjugation of the Latin verb amare, an imperfect form, and three Italian verbs. The scholarly tags also associate the sheet with geometry and with the motion of the fingers.
On this page
A cistern full of water, called 'universal'
The upper chamber is inscribed as being full of water, and the whole installation is titled a 'universal cistern' (bottino universale). It is conceived as a reservoir feeding the mechanism below.
Shafts, levers and overflow conduit
A horizontal shaft crosses the water-filled upper chamber, and a curved conduit rises over the top-right corner to carry water away. Below, a boxed chamber holds gearing and levers on a stepped base, the working parts of the cistern device.
Conjugation of the Latin verb amare
Written with the sheet turned upside down, a corner note runs through the present tense of amare (amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant) and an imperfect form (amaba), followed by three Italian verbs: trassinare, istraboccare, vietare.