Working replicas of inventions of one of the world's greatest inventors and painters will go on display in Auckland this year in a unique display never seen outside Europe.
Leonardo da Vinci is best known for two of the world's most celebrated paintings, the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.
But he was also credited with inventions which later formed the basis of many modern scientific developments.
The Auckland Museum said it would open an exhibition of scale working models of 50 of da Vinci's inventions on November 18.
The models were built in Venice by a company which used materials available in the 15th century. Da Vinci was born in 1452 and died in 1519.
"It has not been outside Europe. It has been travelling around Europe for a number of years and we are the first to get it," said museum public relations manager Amanda McLaren.
She said da Vinci's inventions were broken into four categories: flight, water, war and industry, and the exhibition would include models of many of da Vinci's inventions including flying machines, hydraulics and weapons of war.
"His drawings of the bicycle are remarkably similar to the bicycles of today so he basically invented the bicycle.
"He has got a number of quite hideous war machines which have had applications throughout the years - everything from something that will disembowel a person to something which will lob a cannon ball 200 metres."
Ms McLaren said his list of inventions included paddle boats, a machine to roast a spit of lamb, and many items of hydraulic machinery which formed the basis of items still in use today.
"We are bringing out 50 of the objects and the codices which go along with them so you get to look at the design sketch he did." She said most of his inventions were never built in his time.
"He fell from favour with a lot of his patrons. In those days, fancy-pants kings or whoever it was would decide he was going to commission war machines this week so Leonardo would design them and then either the king would fall from power or the patron would remove the financial backing so they never got built."
She said all the replicas were modern reproductions but were not made with machines, lathes or screws.
- NZPA
Da Vinci
Working replicas of inventions of one of the world's greatest inventors and painters will go on display in Auckland this year in a unique display never seen outside Europe.
Leonardo da Vinci is best known for two of the world's most celebrated paintings, the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.
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