Fortification Wall: Vaulted Casemates and Plan
Elevation of arched casemates and a plan noting that each shot loses half its force
This inverted page pairs an elevation and a plan of a fortification. The upper drawing shows a wall pierced by a row of three arched, vaulted casemates set above a hatched moat or ditch, with the figure '8' marked at the centre. The lower drawing is a perspective plan showing a grated opening — like a portcullis or shooting slit — set within angled walls. Leonardo's note, 8 braccia wide, remarks that here every blow loses half its force because it rests between (the wall's angled surfaces).
On this page
Elevation: wall with three vaulted casemates
The upper drawing shows a straight wall carrying three round-arched, vaulted casemates or embrasures, drawn above a band of hatching that reads as a moat or ditch. The number 8 is written at the centre arch, echoing the note's 'braccia 8'. Faint uprights and hatching mark the terrain to either side.
Plan: each shot loses half its force
The lower perspective plan shows a grated opening resembling a portcullis or gun-slit within thick angled walls. Leonardo's caption reasons that here every blow diminishes by half because it strikes between the angled faces. The observation concerns how sloped or recessed masonry deflects and weakens incoming fire.