Wing Study, the Diary of Lorenzo, and the Prophecy of the Great Bird
A flying-machine sketch amid a dated household memorandum and a prophetic line
This right-hand page sets Leonardo's flying-machine work beside everyday and literary notes. A large curved, wing-like structure fills the upper sheet, with smaller sketches of a mast being raised (labelled p, r, S), two struck-out conical crank devices, and a caption for figures of barriers across a watercourse. In the text Leonardo records that on the evening of 14 April 1505 a 17-year-old named Lorenzo came to live with him, and that the next day he received 25 gold ducats from the treasurer of Santa Maria Nuova; beside it stands his famous prophecy that from the mountain bearing the name of the great bird the famous bird will take flight and fill the world with its fame. Later hands have added the marks 'K 18' and '. 9 .'.
On this page
Dated memorandum: Lorenzo joins the household; 25 ducats received
Leonardo notes that on Tuesday evening, 14 April 1505, a certain Lorenzo, said to be 17, came to live with him. The following day, 15 April, he received 25 gold ducats from the treasurer of Santa Maria Nuova.
Prophecy of the great bird's flight from the mountain
In a single prophetic line Leonardo declares that from the mountain which bears the name of the great bird the famous bird will take its flight, filling the world with its great fame. The passage is read as a reference to his own flying machine.
Raising a mast: points p, r, S
A small figure at the lower left is labelled p, r, S. Leonardo notes that a mast is to be raised by p, while r S serves as its support.
Large curved, wing-like study
The upper part of the sheet is dominated by a large curved, wing-like structure ending in a jointed cuff. It carries no accompanying transcribed text and belongs to the codex's studies of wings and the flying machine.