Height of a fortress turret measured from the water
Battlements 15 paces above the water; the turret 8 1/6 braccia higher; with a braced timber tower
A measurement note records that the battlements stand fifteen paces and a span above the water, taken from the base of the merlons, and defines the pace here as the distance between the thumbs of the two hands when the arms are opened as wide as possible along a straight line. It adds that it is 8 and 1/6 braccia from the base of the battlements to the top of the little tower. A tall braced timber tower is sketched in perspective at the upper left, captioned in the notebook as a summary sketch. Faint further jottings, including fractions, appear at the foot of the sheet.
On this page
Height of battlements and turret above the water
The battlements are set fifteen paces and a span above the water, measured from the base of the merlons, and the turret rises a further 8 and 1/6 braccia above that base. The note fixes the vertical scale of a fortified tower for the survey.
The pace defined by the outstretched arms
Leonardo defines the pace he is using as the span from one thumb to the other when the arms are opened as wide as possible along a straight measure. This gives a bodily standard for the distances he records.
Braced timber tower in perspective
A tall openwork tower is drawn in perspective, its uprights tied by diagonal cross-bracing at several levels and splaying to a broad base. The notebook captions it only as a summary sketch.