On the occasion of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Leonardo da Vinci years at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise (1516-1519), the Château is offering a cultural season in 2018 based on the famous inventor's research work on the theme of human flight. In partnership with Dassault Systèmes, Le Clos Lucé will be offering interactive virtual animations to the general public until December 2018, allowing everyone to experience Leonardo da Vinci's machines in 3D.
Dince his childhood in Tuscany, Leonardo da Vinci has observed birds with fascination and curiosity. Later, in his life as an engineer in Florence, Milan, Rome and Amboise, he dissects, draws and studies the flying techniques of small and large birds.
In its codexes, the dream becomes a reality through numerous drawings, sketches and studies around various flying machines: aerial screw, ornithopter, flying wing, parachute, glider ... The Château du Clos Lucé offers in 2018 a cultural season around the theme of human flight which remains, through the centuries, an object of fascination, discovery and innovation.
Throughout the scenographic route and the exhibition, visitors discover Leonardo da Vinci's intuitions inspired by his observation of the flight of birds, as they follow an open-air route punctuated by giant canvases and interactive panels.
The exhibition also traces the evolution of inventions related to human flight and shows the influence of the Italian Master on modern aeronautics. Leonardo's giant wing stands alongside the exceptional loans of models from the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget and the Air Passion space in Angers.
Vinci's work through virtual and interactive animations
From dream to project and from technical development to experience, Dassault Systèmes and its community of passionate engineers and the experts at Château du Clos Lucé are bringing Leonardo da Vinci's visionary ideas to life until December 31, 2018.
In addition to the models in solid beech wood, about ten of the artist-savant's inventions from the fields of aeronautics, military engineering, maritime engineering and civil engineering are created from the construction plans and codexes of the Italian Master.
Modelled in 3D and manipulable in 360° thanks to a digital touch table, they invite visitors to live an interactive and immersive experience by plunging them into the heart of Leonardo da Vinci's creative genius. The originality of this project to reconstruct Leonardo da Vinci's heritage in 3D is that it is carried by a community of enthusiasts on the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Everyone can also contribute by joining the "Open CodeX" community on the website www.3dexperiencelab.com
The permanent exhibition
Installed in the Museum Hall, the exhibition presents the results of studies, works and research on the Milanese (1507-1513) and French (1516-1519) periods.
It retraces Leonardo's exceptional link with France over ten years, borne by three kings Charles VIII, Louis XII and François I. This link is one of the founding facts of the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. The exhibition highlights the many works carried out by Leonardo da Vinci for the kings of France.
Unique pieces have recently been added to the collections:
- A remarkable copy on canvas of Mona Lisa, made in 1654 and attributed to Ambroise Dubois, painter to King Henry IV.
- A replica of David, cast between 1430 and 1432 by Donatello and considered to be the first great bronze since antiquity.
- A unique mechanical interpretation of the Automaton Lion, based on Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts by a Venetian Master of Art, which required 3,000 hours of work. It is made up of mechanical iron elements, executed at the forge, cut with a saw and shaped with a file.
- An area dedicated to "Leonardo da Vinci, organiser of the Royal Festivities": In Amboise, Leonardo da Vinci imagined and designed many stage costumes, the originals of which are now kept in the Royal Library in Windsor. 500 years later, the Château du Clos Lucé entrusted Bas et Hauts, a workshop specialising in costume making, with a precise reconstruction of these magnificent festive outfits.
A closer look at one of Da Vinci's most famous inventions. :
The flying machine (also known as an "ornithopter") illustrates this extraordinary inventor's keen sense of observation and imagination, as well as his enthusiasm for human flight.
The design of this invention is clearly inspired by the flight of winged animals such as bats that Da Vinci hoped to reproduce.
For more information, visit www.vinci-closluce.com
Practical information :
The virtual and interactive animations take place in the Azoulay Room on the Renaissance Terrace of the Château du Clos Lucé, 2 rue du Clos Lucé - 37400 Amboise.
Adult full price ticket : 15.50 euros
