Two Church Plans and a Diver's Breathing Apparatus
Central-plan church schemes with a note on a leather diving suit for pearl fishing
The sheet carries two ground plans of centrally-planned churches, lettered A and M and cross-referenced to folio 17v: one a domed cross-in-square ringed by eight round chapels, the other a compact octagonal core within a square. At the upper left a small sketch shows a diver's head fitted with a breathing device. Leonardo notes the instrument is used in the sea of India to gather pearls, made of leather with thick rings so the sea cannot crush it, with a companion waiting above in a boat, glass goggles, and a spiked cuirass against fish.
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Two central-plan church schemes (A and M)
Two ground plans of centrally-planned churches, lettered A and M and referred back to folio 17v. Scheme A sets a domed central space within a square and rings it with round satellite chapels; scheme M compresses a similar idea into an octagonal core with corner chapels inside a square outline.
Diving breathing apparatus for pearl fishing
Leonardo describes an underwater breathing instrument used in the sea of India to harvest pearls. It is made of leather stiffened with thick rings so the water pressure cannot close it up, worn with glass goggles and a spiked cuirass to keep off fish, while a companion waits above in the boat.
