PARIS, Sept 12 — Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mechanical lion yesterday went on display in Paris for a month, in a tribute to the Renaissance master 500 years after his death.

The lion, which is two metres (six feet, seven inches) high and three metres long and made of wood with a metal mechanism, is a reconstruction based on a rudimentary sketch left by da Vinci.

The original automaton, long since lost, was designed by da Vinci on a commission from Pope Leo X to amuse French king Francois I.

A picture taken on September 11, 2019 shows a mechanical lion that has been recreated 500 years after its invention by Leonardo da Vinci, at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. — AFP pic
A picture taken on September 11, 2019 shows a mechanical lion that has been recreated 500 years after its invention by Leonardo da Vinci, at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. — AFP pic

Da Vinci, who died in May 1519, had a legendary obsession with the flight of birds and how understanding the mechanism could lead to the creation of a human flying machine.

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The lion is on display at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. — AFP