Great Kite

Wooden machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci

The Great Kite (Italian: il Grande Nibbio) was a wooden machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo realized it between the end of the 15th Century and the beginning of the 16th Century. Drawings of parts and components of this machine can be found in the Codex on the flight of birds, which however lacks the overall description of the machine itself. Some drawings within the same codex suggest that it was created in similarity with flapping flight. However, this was hardly possible to perform given the available technologies, thus Leonardo developed a machine for mainly a gliding flight.^[1] The machine is named after the animal from which Leonardo took inspiration to realize the flying machine, the Kite.^[2]

Note

^ "IL GRANDE NIBBIO" (in Italian).
^ "Il Codice sul volo degli uccelli di Leonardo da Vinci" (in Italian).

Leonardo da Vinci

Major works

The Annunciation
The Baptism of Christ ✻
The Madonna of the Carnation
Ginevra de' Benci
Benois Madonna
The Adoration of the Magi
Saint Jerome in the Wilderness
Madonna Litta ✻
Virgin of the Rocks
Portrait of a Musician ✻✻
Lady with an Ermine
La Belle Ferronnière
The Last Supper
Sala delle Asse
Portrait of Isabella d'Este
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
Buccleuch Madonna ✻
Salvator Mundi ✻✻
Lansdowne Madonna ✻
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
Mona Lisa
La Scapigliata
Saint John the Baptist

Lost works

Medusa
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (cartoon)
Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Infants Embracing
The Battle of Anghiari
Leda and the Swan

Sculptures

Budapest Horse
Horse and Rider
Sforza Horse (unexecuted)

Works on paper

Studies for the Virgin of the Rocks	Designs for an Adoration of the Christ Child Head of the Angel Head of the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Studies for the Last Supper	Head of Christ
Studies for the Louvre Saint Anne	Christ Child Drapery of the Virgin's Right Arm Head of Saint Anne Head of the Virgin