Leonardo da Vinci, Pathfinder of ScienceGillette, Henry S.
Science
Leonardo da Vinci, Pathfinder of Science
Gillette, Henry S.
Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519
He also demonstrated various laws relative to optical illusion, such as
irradiation—when a metal rod is made red-hot at one end, that end seems
thicker than the other. A brightly lit object seems larger than one
exactly like it that is dimly lit; a dark object placed against a light
background seems smaller than it is; a light object seems larger than
its real size when placed against a dark background; and the illusion of
a light swung in a circle appears as a complete circle of light.
Many years before Newton, Leonardo described the experiment of breaking
up a ray of white light into the solar spectrum. Also he compared two
sources of light and measured their intensity by the depth of their
shadows accompanied by a drawing that was the forerunner of Rumford’s
photometer three centuries later! He stated the law of reflection—that
is, that the angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of
incidence.
About this time Leonardo left the studio of Ambrogio de Predis and moved
into the Sforza Castle. Ludovico had put at his disposal a studio in the
Corte Vecchia and the use of a room in one of the towers—which Leonardo
always kept locked. To his growing list of work, Leonardo now had to add
the preparations for the delayed wedding reception of Ludovico’s nephew,
Gian Galeazzo Sforza.
On a cold winter evening of January 1490 the guests assembled again.
Silks, satins and gold brocade, diamonds, rubies and pearls glittered in
the brilliant lights. Princes of the Church mingled with ambassadors of
foreign lands. Music and perfume filled the air and as the party quieted
down the entertainment began. There were dances in gay costumes. Poetry
was recited that flattered the bride and groom. There were allegorical
processions. The jokes and antics of the court jester made the audience
laugh.
Then, at midnight, the curtain that hung from wall to wall at the end of
the ballroom was raised. Applause and cries of delight greeted the
spectacle. The rising curtain revealed a room in which there was a
hemisphere surrounded by the signs of the zodiac and the planets. While
the planets in their niches flickered with concealed lights and the
signs of the zodiac glowed, lines were spoken in honor of the house of
Sforza to the accompaniment of a choir. The ancient gods swept down from
the heavens, and the Virtues and Graces moved across the scene with
nymphs waving lanterns. The music drowned out the sound of the
mechanism. This was the kind of mechanics that Ludovico could understand
and appreciate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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