Ideal-city palace, a lifting crank, and a laden cart
Street width set to house height; how to work great cranks; a cart's course on ice
The upper half draws a tall, many-storeyed arcaded palace in perspective for the ideal city, paired with the rule that a street should be as wide as the houses are tall. Below, Leonardo studies lifting gear: a pivoted rod that raises a hanging weight, and a crank ('manovella') for moving great loads, arguing that force applied higher on the crossbar is more effective. A two-wheeled cart carrying a load is drawn at the foot, its weights specified relative to a pivot and likened to a body's course over ice.
On this page
Ideal-city palace: street as wide as the houses are tall
A tall, many-storeyed palace with tiered arcades is drawn in perspective for the ideal city. Beside it Leonardo lays down the rule that the street should be as wide as the general height of the houses.
Rod raising a weight ('lieva')
At the right a long rod is pivoted to raise a hanging weight, labelled 'lieva'. It illustrates the lever principle applied to lifting.
Working a crank ('manovella') to raise great weights
Leonardo explains how cranks for moving and raising great weights should be set, and that the men working them should press on the fixed crossbar at the crank's head. He reasons that the higher up the force is applied, the more effective it is.
Two-wheeled cart with weights about pole a m
A two-wheeled cart carrying a load is drawn below. Forward of the perpendicular pole a m the weight is set at 10 pounds, and forward of that pole at 10 pounds and one ounce including the cart and everything, with a note comparing it to the course a body makes on ice.