Leonardo da Vinci's Letter to Sultan Beyazid II
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Description: 

This is a photograph of the letter that Leonardo da Vinci sent to Sultan Beyazid II of Istanbul during the Second Florentine Period of his life. At the time, da Vinci was attempting to secure a position as a scientist and architect within the Sultan's court. Within the letter, da Vinci proposed an arched bridge from Galata to Istanbul that spanned the Golden Horn. Such a project would have been the longest bridge at the time, made possible by da Vinci's unique design. The letter was recovered in the national archives of Istanbul in 1952 and is currently in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul.

Sources:

Atalay, B. (2013, January 22). LEONARDO’S BRIDGE: Part 2. “A Bridge for the Sultan”. Retrieved May 11, 2019, from https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/01/22/leonardos-bridge-part-2-a...

Books, Maps and Calligraphic documents in the Topkapi Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from http://kilyos.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/booknmaps.html

The image is taken from the source by Atalay shown above. As the photograph of a document in the public domain, it has been used with credit to the source.

Associated Place(s)

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Timeline of Events Associated with Leonardo da Vinci's Letter to Sultan Beyazid II

Letter to Sultan Beyazid II of Istanbul

circa. 3 Jul 1502 to circa. 3 Jul 1503 The letter is dated July 3, but the year is not specified

While in Florence around 1502 or 1503, Leonardo da Vinci pursued a position as a scientist and engineer in the court of Sultan Beyazid II of Istanbul. To showcase his innovative ideas, he sent a “cover letter” to the Sultan proposing four projects: a windmill, a hydraulic pump, a bridge connecting Galata to Istanbul, and a suspension bridge across the Bosporus connecting Turkey and Asia. The bridge connecting Galata to Istanbul across the Golden Horn was da Vinci’s first formal proposal for a self-supporting arched bridge. As proposed, the bridge would be the longest single span bridge at the time and self supporting due to the parabolic shape of the arches underneath it. The sultan rejected this radical proposal and da Vinci’s design remained unused. The connection between this letter and da Vinci's sketches of the arched bridge design was established in 1952, as the letter, stored in the Istanbul National Archives, had been mislabeled and misattributed. The letter is now on display in the Topkapi museum in Istanbul.

Sources:

Atalay, B. (2013, January 22). LEONARDO’S BRIDGE: Part 2. “A Bridge for the Sultan”. Retrieved May 11, 2019, from blog.nationalgeographic.org/20…...

Erik Cleves, K. (2014, April 8). [Galata]. Retrieved May 11, 2019, from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil…(13971741453).jpg

The image was taken by Erik Cleves Kristensen and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. It is provided through Wikimedia Commons.

Letter to Sultan Beyazid II of Istanbul

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Artist: 

  • Leonardo da Vinci

Image Date: 

circa. 3 Jul 1502