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Leonardo da Vinci (Vinci 1452-Amboise 1519)

The chain ferry at Vaprio d'Adda c.1511-13

RCIN 912400

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A drawing of a bird's-eye view of a broad river with a ferry in the foreground. On the right is a bank with a landing-stage on wheels pushed out into the water. Beyond, the river winds among fields and trees. There is no suggestion of a horizon. This tiny, detailed drawing shows the river Adda by the Villa Melzi outside Milan, the family home of one of Leonardo’s pupils, where Leonardo stayed during 1512-13. The swirling currents of the water are as closely observed as the minute details of the rocky and wooded landscape.