Medieval Dragon Automaton

A Medieval Dragon Automaton

Laurel Prize Research and Documentation Competition 2012

Antonia di Lorenzo

Contents

Introduction 3

Part 1 The History and Technology of Automata and Geared Mechanisms 4

Artisans and the Role of Automata in the Courts 5

The History of Geared Mechanisms and Automata 7

The Use and Technology of Fire in Medieval Entertainment 10

Mechanisms and Materials in Medieval Automata 12

Part 2 Design Construction and Testing of the Dragon Automaton 14

Design and Construction 15

Project Notebooks 20

Discussion 21

Appendix Timeline of Geared Mechanisms and Automata 23

Bibliography 25

Guide to Illustrations in the Text 34

Guide to Illustrations in the Supplement 36


1

The documentation for this project is divided into two sections

Part 1 examines the role of automata in medieval and Renaissance courts as symbols of wealth power and technological superiority the history of the technology used in building automata from the Hellenistic period to the Renaissance and the use of fire in medieval and Renaissance entertainment

Part 2 documents the design and construction of a fire-breathing dragon automaton based on this research and contains some additional notes on the materials and construction techniques used in medieval automata

The bibliography includes links to the source material wherever possible Due to the large volume of material the bibliography is grouped in the same sections as the notes and sources are repeated if they are used in more than one section If you have an electronic version of the notes the internet references are hyperlinked and library books are listed with their (Melbourne) shelf references Any source that does not have a link or a library reference is from my personal library

In addition to the illustrations in the main essay there is an illustration supplement which allows easier back and forth comparison than having the images embedded in the text Note that a number of these illustrations are copyright If copying the paper for distribution a separate guide to the illustrations is available with thumbnail images and links instead


2

Introduction

In the late middle ages and Renaissance court artists were not only expected to paint images of their patrons decorations for the palaces and religious works such as altarpieces but to design and stage spectacles for the court This included designing costumes scenery stage machinery and special effects making banners hangings parade shields and helmet crests and creating prestigious diplomatic gifts to be sent to other courts1 While many paintings have survived to the present day nearly all of the more ephemeral creations are known only from sketches or descriptions

In previous projects I explored a number of these aspects of the court artistrsquos work religious paintings and court portraiture illuminated manuscripts board games helmet crests and subtleties and poetry for court entertainments This paper examines the history and technology of automata and geared devices as a prelude to designing and building an original automaton based on the technology available in the 14th-16th centuries

Undertaking the research on the history of technology for this project was fascinating There were many more extant examples than I had thought and in addition to the usual written and photographic resource material there were a number of documentary films which included reconstructions or computer animations of the mechanical devices they discussed These films provided useful background information and context to supplement higher quality source material

I had not previously appreciated how far back in time some of the technology went such as precision astronomical instrument-making in ancient Greece2 or industrial-scale manufacturing in medieval China3 nor of the continuity of the timeline of its development - the perception is often that devices such as mechanical clocks emerged fully-developed with no antecedents or that engineers such as Leonardo da Vinci developed their inventions in isolation In part this represents a continuing power struggle in both general reference books and in academic research over historical ldquoownershiprdquo of particular technologies

The research also raised issues which I had not even realised existed such as the frequent problem of engineers and artisans not being paid by their patrons for their work4 (or for materials they had purchased) despite written contracts or other agreements and the difficulty of ongoing maintenance of high technology engineering works Many famous examples such as Giovanni dersquo Dondirsquos 14th century astrarium clock5 and Gianello Torrianorsquos 16th century waterworks in Toledo6 fell into permanent disrepair after a relatively short time due to neglect


3

1 Stefano Zuffi European Art of the Fifteenth Century 2 Nature Video Channel Antikythera mechanism [video]3 History Channel Ancient Discoveries - Machines III [video]4 Benvenuto Cellini Autobiography5 Elizabeth King Clockwork Prayer6 Wikipedia Artificio de Juanelo

Part 1 The History and Technology of Automata and Geared Mechanisms


4

Artisans and the Role of Automata in the Courts

In the later middle ages and Renaissance technology culture and politics were closely linked Political power relied not just on military might but upon reputation and required the display of wealth and intellectual and technological superiority European and non-European courts alike gathered around them scholars and technologists such as astronomers mathematicians engineers and artisans to help create and publicise this image7 8

One significant area where wealth and technological superiority could be demonstrated was in the creation of automata - artificial objects that are or appear to be self-moving (from the Greek automatos - that which runs by itself) Often perceived as mere toys or amusements9 medieval examples include entire orchestras of mechanical musicians operated by hydraulic mechanisms jewelled table fountains which poured wine and played music10 nefs which moved around the banquet table and fired miniature cannons11 mechanised animals and singing and flying birds and elaborate tower clocks which displayed astronomical information while wooden or metal figures jousted or played out biblical scenes and rang the hours on bells or gongs

A good example of the way in which this type of technology was used for political purposes is the astronomical clock designed and built by Abbot Richard of Wallingford for the Abbey of St Albans in the 14th century Richard became abbot in 1327 after studying theology mathematics and astronomy at Oxford at a time of political instability just before the deposition of King Edward II by his wife Isabella The abbey buildings were crumbling and earlier in1327 the citizens of the local town had won an end to compulsory milling of their grain by the abbeyrsquos mills resulting in the loss of a significant source of income for the abbey

In 1330 Isabellarsquos son Edward III seized power and in 1331 Richard re-established the abbeyrsquos milling monopoly confiscating about 80 hand mills from the town and cementing them into the abbey floor Having put the abbey back into a firm financial position he then elected to build an elaborate tower clock rather than repair the abbey The clock its mechanism based on geared astrolabes showed astronomical information such as star positions and phases of the moon on its face and chimed on the hour At the time it was built it was the most accurate clock in England and was able to predict lunar eclipses and other astronomical events

One historian12 asserts that it was built as piece of propaganda The heavy gear technology in the clock is very similar to the gear technology in the abbeyrsquos mills but with its ability to predict events such as eclipses took that technology into celestial realms Whyte states that Richardrsquos intention appears to have been to demonstrate that the Abbey was not only powerful but had direct connections to the heavens Unfortunately for Richard the clock was not completed until


5

7 William Eamon Science and the Secrets of Nature8 Thomas Misa Leonardo to the Internet9 Silvio Bedini The Role of Automata in the History of Technology10 The Cleveland Museum of Art 14th Century French Table Fountain11 The British Museum The Mechanical Galleon12 Nicholas Whyte The Astronomical Clock of Richard of Wallingford

1356 20 years after his death During the Peasantrsquos Revolt of 1381 the hand mills were dug up from the abbey floor and the clock itself was destroyed or dismantled at the time of the dissolution of the Abbey by Henry VIII in 1546

Another example is the mechanical lion built by Leonardo da Vinci for King Franccedilois I in 1515 In his book on the history of technology and culture13 Thomas Misa includes a description of the automaton by Leonardorsquos assistant Francesco Melzi ldquoA lion with a bristling mane it was led by a hermit On its entrancehellipwomen in the audience drew back in terror but when the king touched the lion three times with a magic wand handed to him by the hermit the lion-automaton broke open and spilled at the Kingrsquos feet a mound of fleur-de-lysrdquo Misa explains that everyone in the audience would have understood the symbolism the lilies as a symbol of the French royal house and the lion as a symbol of the Florentine court

Automata and religious ceremonies

In court entertainments automata were used openly It was always clear that they were man-made novelties ingenious but not supernatural The importance of this distinction can be inferred from examples such as the title of Gianbattista della Portarsquos work Magia Naturalis14 - ldquonatural magicrdquo (ie science) as opposed to supernatural magic Any hint of dabbling in the supernatural could rapidly draw the attention of authorities such as the Inquisition with the risk of imprisonment torture and execution

There is evidence for automata and other mechanical devices being used covertly from ancient times to create special effects in religious ceremonies Many of Heron of Alexandriarsquos devices were for temple use such as doors which opened when an altar fire was lit Statues which appeared to move talk cry or spout milk from multiple breasts were among the documented examples in the Hellenistic period

In the 16th century a supposedly miraculous crucifix caused outrage when it was exposed as an automaton The Rood of Grace at Boxley Abbey in Kent15 was a figure of Christ on the cross which moved its head rolled its eyes shed tears moved its lips and foamed at the mouth It was worked by means of wires through small tubes in the panel on which it was mounted The abbey benefited greatly from pilgrimages to the abbey and gifts from grateful patrons After the deception was exposed a large number of angry letters were written and the crucifix was pulled down broken up and burned


6

13 Thomas Misa Leonardo to the Internet14 Gianbattista della Porta Magia Naturalis15 Phillip Butterworth Magic on the Early English Stage

The History of Geared Mechanisms and Automata

There are legends describing robot-like mechanical devices as far back as Homerrsquos Iliad (800-700 BCE) which precede actual examples of complex machinery by several hundred years Some of the earliest physical examples of the constructions described in ancient writings are the steam-powered pigeon of Archytos of Tarentum (5th century BCE) Archimedesrsquo hydraulic organ and Ctesibiusrsquo clepsydra a type of water clock (both 3rd century BCE) and Heron of Alexandriarsquos numerous devices including his aeolipile (steam powered engine) coin operated holy water dispenser and string-controlled automated puppet theatre (1st century CE)

By the 2nd century BCE complex geared mechanisms such as astrolabes and the Antikythera Mechanism (xray of mechanism above left) were being developed both used for astronomical calculations The Antikythera Mechanism is named for the island of Antikythera in the Mediterranean where it was found aboard a shipwreck It is severely corroded and in several pieces but studies including xrays and detailed surface photography have shown that it has as many as 72 bronze gears including epicyclic gears (gears whose axis is another gear) Nothing approaching this level of complexity is seen elsewhere until the 14th century

Scientific research and the development of mechanics slowed significantly between the end of the Hellenistic period and the rise of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries During the period of the Islamic translation movement (800-1150 CE) a concerted effort was made by Islamic scholars to seek out Greek and Syriac texts and translate them into Arabic leading to a revival in mechanical technology (unfortunately many of these works were destroyed after the Christian reconquest of Spain) From the 9th century we have the Kitab al-hiyal (Book of Ingenious Devices) by the brothers Muhammad Ahmad and al-Hasan bin Musa ibn Shakir describing a number of trick vessels which use sophisticated hydraulic and pneumatic principles They wrote another book now lost on mechanics From the 10th and 11th centuries there are the earliest preserved astrolabes (Persian geared astrolabe 1221 CE above right) treatises on devices including automata mining machinery and astronomical devices including planetaria


7

In the 12th century Abu al-Iz ibn Ismail ibn al-Razaz al-Jazari (al Jazari) wrote his famous Kitab fiacute marifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya (Book of Ingenious Mechanical Devices) which includes drawings and instructions for such things as a hydraulically operated troupe of musicians and large complex clocks such as the elephant clock

Simultaneously but using independently developed technology the Chinese built empires which made extensive use of mass production through heavy industrial technology and developed complex astronomical clocks the most famous of which is the water-driven tower clock of engineer Su Sung from the 11th century (at left)

There is also evidence of automata in medieval India A 12th century Sanskrit manuscript the Samararigana-sutradha-ra gives a detailed description of humanoid automata which could perform various simple tasks16

Islamic knowledge gradually filtered through to Europe via Islamic Spain and Byzantium and Chinese knowledge through captured prisoners17 and along trade routes18 The astrolabe was said to have been introduced into Europe in the 11th century by Gerbert of Aurillac (later Pope Silvester II) who studied in Toledo

In 13th century Europe there were examples of water-powered saws and weight-driven clocks designed by Villard de Honnecourt and fountains and other water features plus mechanical apes in the gardens of Duc Phillipe Count of Artois at Hesdin Castle

By the 14th century mechanical technology was well established in Europe with tower clocks featuring astronomical information on the clock faces and moving figures (jaquemarts) automated carillons and industrial machinery such as grain mills power hammers and saws (15th century manuscript illustration of a tower clock at right)


8

16 Srikumar Gopalakrishna Indiarsquos Tradition of Flying Machines17 Chinese prisoners in Samarkand after the 751 Battle of Atlakh introduced papermaking and water-powered trip hammers18 Lena Cansdale The Radhanites 9th Century Jewish International Traders

Richard of Wallingfordrsquos tower clock and the astrarium table clock of Giovanni de Dondi date from this time This period also saw the emergence of very fine quality automata made by jewellers such as the French table fountain which will be discussed in the next section

From the late 15th century onwards there was a flowering in the development of automata This was partly a continuation of earlier medieval technological developments but also the result of the humanist movement and the translation from Greek Syriac and Arabic of many earlier texts Andrea del Verrocchio Florencersquos premier armourer designed and built an automaton clock and several knight automata have armour based on his designs His pupil Leonardo da Vinci made huge contributions to this field in areas such as coil springs control mechanisms and realistic movement based on anatomical studies He invented a mechanical lion (previously described) and a robotic knight which stood up moved its head and arms and opened its visor to reveal a face with an articulated jaw so it would appear to speak

There are numerous extant examples and descriptions of automata from the 16th century (eg the Italian automaton at right) including tabletop automata designed by engineer Gianello Torriano (who also worked on larger scale projects such as the Toledo waterworks) and locksmith Hans Bullman a wooden flying beetle made by astrologer John Dee a mechanical prosthetic hand designed by surgeon Ambroise Pareacute (left) and the infamous Rood of Grace at Boxley Abbey

Most of the Chinese clock technology was lost by the 14th century because of a combination of poor maintenance and deliberate destruction in dynastic struggles Clockwork technology was re-introduced to Japan India and China through Jesuit missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries This influence can be seen in the similarities between 16th century European automata and 18th century Japanese manuscript descriptions of a tea-serving automaton


9

The Use and Technology of Fire in Medieval Entertainment

Fire-related special effects were very popular in medieval and Renaissance entertainment theatrical productions pageants and feasts The effects included showers of sparks from slow-burning black powder fireworks flame-throwing using either liquid or dry powder fuels [suitably protected] actors and props soaked in flammable substances and set alight fire balls and battle scenes outlined in burning fuses (quickmatch) Philip Butterworthrsquos book Theatre of Fire discusses the history and technology of these special effects in early English and Scottish theatre in great detail Here Irsquoll discuss the aspects relevant to creating a fire-breathing effect

Subtleties fire breathing birds

In his 15th century cookbook Cuoca Napoletana19 Maestro Martino gives instructions on how to serve a roast peacock so that it seems to breathe fire using camphor and aquavitae (brandy) on a piece of cotton wool placed in the birdrsquos beak and set alight Gianbattista della Portarsquos instructions in his 16th century Magia Naturalis20 are almost indentical and are probably derived from this earlier source These produce a static flame To throw a flame a moving source of air is required either from a bellows or exhaled air directly from the mouth or via a tube

Flame throwing using liquid fuels

Various flammable liquids were used for flame effects mostly alcohol- or hydrocarbon-based for example aquavitae (alcohol) with or without turpentine or brimstone and brimstone plus orpiment and oil Mineral oils sourced in the Middle East had been known and used since ancient times

Alcohol alone produces a flame which is clear and requires additives to colour it The common colouring agents used in the middle ages for this purpose were verdigris and sal ammoniac (green) vermillion (red) and orpiment (yellow) These latter additives are highly poisonous

Flame throwing with dry powder

Della Portarsquos Magia Naturalis gives instructions on how ldquoto cast a flame a great wayrdquo using finely powdered colophony (rosin) frankincense or amber thrown at a candle flame21 In Giovanni Isacchirsquos 1579 manuscript Inventionihellipnelle quali si manifesto varij Secreti amp vtili auisi a persone di gverra e per i tempi di piacere (Inventionshellipin which are revealed various secrets and useful information for military use and in times of peace) a special trumpet with a reservoir for blowing the powder fuel over a flame is described and illustrated22 (illustration at right)


10

19 James Matterer Gode Cookery Presents Incredible Foods Solteies and Entremets20 Gianbattista della Porta Magia Naturalis Volume 14 Of Cookery Chaper 921 Gianbattista della Porta Magia Naturalis Volume 12 Artificial Fire Chapter 1122 Phillip Butterworth Theatre of Fire pp 39-40

Another technique was to wrap a quantity of wood flour (very fine sawdust) in a piece of silk cut a slit in the silk and set the wood flour smouldering using a candle or ember The bundle was then put into the mouth and held firmly with the teeth while blowing to create the effect of fire breathing As an alternative to wood flour tow (chopped up rope fibres) soaked in alcohol could be used

Modern versions of this firebreathing technique use powdered sugar wheat starch (eg cornflour or custard powder) coffee creamer powdered milk and lycopodium In fact any substance which is flammable when finely powdered and aerated will work Flammable dusts are a major fire and explosion hazard in workplaces such as coal mines flour mills and sawmills so the principle would have been well understood in medieval times

Lycopodium

A number of the Lycopodium clubmosses23 have spores which are flammable due to their naturally high fat content They grow widely across Europe and have been known since ancient times Lycopodium selago was described by Pliny the Elder in his 1st century CE Naturalis Historia Lycopodium clavatum (wolfrsquos foot clubmoss) is referred to in the 1554 herbal Cruydeboeck by Flemish physician and botanist Rembert Dodoens24 In the classical and medieval periods lycopodium was used for medicinal purposes and continues to be used today in various herbal and homeopathic remedies

The first reference I could find to the use of lycopodium as a flammable agent was in an 1806 report to the French Sciences Academy on the prototype internal combustion engine the

pyreacuteolophore patented by French brothers Niceacutephore and Claude Nieacutepce in 180725 The report states ldquothe fuel ordinarily used by M M Nieacutepce is made of lycopodium spores the combustion of which being the most intense and the easiest one however this material being costly they replaced it with pulverised coal and mixed it if necessary with a small portion of resinrdquo Later in the 19th century there are several accounts of using forge bellows to blow lycopodium over lit braziers as a theatrical fire effect26 Although it is probable that its flammability was noted during the middle ages and Renaissance any suggestion of lycopodium being used for pyrotechnics in this period is purely speculative as it is not mentioned in contemporary books of secrets or other pyrotechnic information I had some discussions with the author of Theatre of Fire and unfortunately he was not able to add any further information on pre-19th century use of lycopodium


11

23 Clubmosses are not mosses They are related to ferns24 Charles Morren Dodonaeliga ou recueil dobservations de botanique25 The pyreolophore Nieacutepce House website26 Phillip Butterworth Theatre of Fire p81

Despite this lack of documentability I chose lycopodium as the fuel for this project After testing various options it was by far the most consistently performing fuel and also relatively safe It is only flammable when dispersed in air in the presence of a flame and spills and stored fuel will not burn As noted by the Nieacutepce brothers though it is quite expensive at $20 for a 30ml bottle27 There is further discussion on my choice of lycopodium as a fuel in the section on design and construction of the dragon

Mechanisms and Materials in Medieval Automata

For discussion purposes I have divided the external appearance and materials used for automata into three groups fine jeweller-quality work which includes table fountains moving nefs and table clocks larger scale sturdy mechanisms such as tower clock jacquemarts and performance automata such as Leonardo da Vincirsquos lion and theatrical props

The jewellery-quality automata such as the 14th century French table fountain (above left28) draw on the same design and construction techniques as standing cups and reliquaries and were made of brass bronze and silver often with enamelling niello and gilding The mechanisms used precision metal gears and cams and in the case of table fountains hydaulic mechanisms Table clocks and other 16th century automata were often powered by coil springs

Jacquemarts and tower clock automata (above centre29) needed to be much sturdier They were made of cast iron bronzebrass and carved wood and were usually painted The mechanisms like the clocks they were part of were made of cast or forged iron and brass

Performance automata like the 16th century cittern-playing woman (above right30) fell somewhere in between Smaller tabletop automata usually had the same type of metal precision


12

27 Bernardrsquos Magic Shop Melbourne28 Getty Museum 14th century table fountain29 httpwwwcraftsmanshipmuseumcomimagesBates29jpg30 Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

mechanisms as table clocks whereas a large automaton produced for a one-off pageant might have a cheaper wooden mechanism The working parts were housed in a body made of wood or or pasteboard (a type of cardboard or papier-macirccheacute) or a wooden cane or metal frame covered with paper cloth leather or fur (in the case of animal automata) Human automata were dressed in sewn clothing andor metal armour The illustration at left shows a monk automaton with wooden body shell fitted with a metal mechanism Over this the figure wears a monkrsquos habit and carries a rosary

When it came to examining which mechanical parts it might be appropriate to use it became apparent that it was more a case of what could not be used Most types of gear can be documented including bevel gears worm gears epicyclic gears (gears which have their axis on another gear) segmental gears (gears which have teeth part on only part of their circumference) and non-circular gears but not helical gears

Most medieval metal gear wheels had a triangular tooth profile which was easy to shape with a file Modern gear teeth have an involute profile where the teeth are shaped so that the load is spread more evenly throughout the period of tooth contact between adjacent gears

Wooden gears were either made as spur or crown gears or by laminating pieces of timber together in both cases so that the force on the gear teeth was not acting along the grain line (which risks shearing off the gear teeth) Spur and crown gears were paired with lantern gears which resemble a hollow cage (at left)

Cams and followers cranks ratchets pulleys and the geneva stop were all mechanisms in use during the 14th to 16th centuries

Treadle powered lathes and grinding wheels were used in addition to hand tools for shaping wooden and metal parts There were also specialty machines for making coil springs screw threads and metal files

Although small rubber and plastic belt and pulley systems are often found in modern automata the materials available in the middle ages for pulley belts - leather and rope - were only suitable for larger scale machinery where slight slippage did not matter Similarly chain drives were used but only in large machinery

To provide an air source to blow instruments etc most of the early automata used hydraulic mechanisms to alter air pressure There is at least one example of bellows being used however in a 16th musical galleon31 (at right)


13

31 British Museum

Part 2 Design Construction and Testing of the Dragon Automaton


14

Design and Construction

Having researched what materials and mechanisms I could use I turned to a contemporary book32 and several websites33 on designing and making automata to assist with the design process My initial plan was to make the dragon with a hollow wooden body a sheet metal (brass or copper) head and thin leather wings similar to a batrsquos I was not sure whether to try to fit all the mechanisms inside the dragon or have them underneath concealed within a ldquorockrdquo or ldquopile of treasurerdquo I was also unsure whether I would be able to have the dragon powered by a wind-up mechanism using a coil spring or simply by an external crank handle

The tail design was inspired by an articulated toy wooden snake and was going to be covered in overlapping leather scales which would still allow it to flex The fire-breathing would use a tiny bellows to blow fuel over an external flame source such as a candle In addition to tail and wing movement I considered having the neck move up and down and some finer scale movements such as eyelids or claws

As the following discussion will show the original plans had to be modified quite a bit as I proceeded

The first step was to make a rough model to work out the size and proportions of the dragon For this I used soft drink bottles cardboard and tape (above left) I then constructed a raised platform on a plywood base to mount the individual mechanisms for testing keeping all the working parts within the size envelope of the original model (above right) While I was developing and testing mechanisms I was trying to find an elongated wooden bowl to use for the body shell to avoid having to make something from scratch Although I eventually found one that worked well it would probably have been better to have made a body shell myself right at the start so that the test rig would be exactly the same size As it was I got the mechanisms to work well but then had to completely rework them to fit inside the actual body


15

32 Robert Addams How To Design and Make Automata available to purchase online as a pdf file33 Robert Ives Designing Paper Animations [website]

I chose to work on the wings first These pivot on small bars in the body wall and are linked inside the body so that they move together when pulled by a cord As I was still unsure whether the mechanism would be inside or outside the dragon in the test version the cord ran through the test platform to an offset cam turned by a handle By the time it came to the final version I had pared down the number of mechanisms sufficiently that I could fit them inside the body so the cord now runs to a pulley on the belly of the dragon under the bellows to a second pulley then up to a crank on the main driveshaft As the crank turns it pulls the wing cord and moves the wings upward The return to the downward position is assisted by gravity

The prototype wings were made of cardboard with the lever arms in laminated wood (paddle pop sticks) The first version was too heavy so I had to reduce the wing size quite a bit I realised from the start that the wings would need to either fold or be removable for ease of packing so the final design was planned to have the wing mechanism end in stumps to which the actual wings could be attached In line with the original plan the wings are made from a fairly thin flexible leather (which is also used for the bellows) The ldquofinger bonesrdquo of the wings are formed from

three thin hollow brass rods I considered using cane but thought this would be too much at risk of breakage with repeated handling One end of each rod was flattened so that all three would fit into a joint formed from the metal part of an electrical terminal block and held in place by the terminal block screw Ideally this joint should be hard soldered The ldquoarm bonesrdquo are made from heavier brass rod held in the other side of the terminal block and end in a connector for joining to the body

Next was the tail The toy snake which was the inspiration for this consisted of a number of hemicylindical pieces glued along a central strip of cloth or leather so that it could flex from side to side Another possible design also based on a toy snake had the segments hollowed at each end and joined by pins This could be made from wood hollow bamboo or sheet metal but would have been more difficult to make so I stayed with the original design The protoype tail was made from a leather strip and balsa wood segments (chosen because it was easy to work)

Three possible mechanisms were considered to convert the turning of the drive shaft to a side to side movement of the tail a skewed cam described in Robert Addamsrsquo automata book a drum cam based on a drawing from one of Leonardo da Vincirsquos notebooks (one of the mechanisms for the robot knight) and a pair of egg-shaped cams offset by 180˚ which would push a bar from side to side I made a drum cam but this was fairly difficult to shape with hand tools so I moved on to the skewed cam Parts of this cam need to be very thin and in the prototype I used very thin timber and plastic The tail mechanism worked well with this combination and I decided to use this for the


16

final version substituting metal for the thin wood which was too fragile and the plastic The skewed cam is linked to the main drive shaft by a spur and crown gear train One advantage of these gears is that you can have a 11 gear ratio with one gear (the crown gear) larger than the other making it ideal to fit in the sloping space of the back section of the body

The gaps left between the balsa wood segments to allow the tail to flex were a bit large and the tail tended to droop down too much so for the next version I made the gaps wedge-shaped so that less leather was exposed For this tail I used tasmanian oak dowel tapered with a spokeshave cut longitudinally down the centre and then into segments which were shaped using a power sander I carved a specially shaped piece for the end of the tail and left leather ldquospinesrdquo sticking up from the top of the tail This version was much heavier and didnrsquot work at all well with the skewed cam The extra weight

meant that because the two sides were not perfectly balanced it wouldnrsquot move properly with the small side-to-side movement generated by the cam I did try to design an alternative mechanism which would rotate the tail slightly allowing the weight of the tail to then flick it around This was not sucessful so I went back to the skewed cam and lightened the tail by removing a segment at the base and paring down the tip

The bellows were probably the easiest part of the design and construction The design is based on hinged fire bellows but because of the small size the outlet is located on one of the sides rather than at the hinged end They are made from 5mm plywood and leather glued with contact cement One piece of leather forms the movable section of the bellows and a second piece forms the hinge This is reinforced with a brass hinge The inlet valve is made from a leather flap on the inside The inlet and outlet are offset so that they are not directly opposite each other and the outlet has a small brass fitting glued in place to connect to the outlet tubing (because the wood is too thin to hold a metal tube in place) Although the bellows worked perfectly I had to make a second set as the first ended up being too large to fit the other mechanisms alongside it The bellows are mounted on a block shaped to fit the shell of the dragon with a channel for the wing cord running through it

The air tube running from the bellows to the mouth is 5mm copper plumbing pipe I had initially thought that Irsquod require flexible segments in the tube to allow for neck movement I planned to use the solution chosen by Leonardo da Vinci for his underwater breathing apparatus making the flexible segments out of springs covered in air-tight leather As I did not include neck movement in the final design the air tube is a single piece of copper pipe bent to fit It is very fiddly fitting


17

the tubing to the bellows in such a confined space and it may be better to include a joint for that reason

The bellows are kept closed by a spring which is gradually stretched open by means of a snail cam (left) The drop section of the cam allows the spring to rapidly pull tight again squeezing the bellows

To reduce the frequency of the bellows operation to once per 8 wingtail movements a reduction gear of some sort was required Four main options were considered a spur gear train a worm gear a geneva mechanism and a ratchet and pawl (below left) In a spur gear train the reduction is proportional to the ratio of the diameters of the gear wheels Even allowing for a two stage reduction this takes up too much room inside the body A worm gear is very compact but the minimum practical gear reduction is about 112 (modern guitar tuning pegs use 114) It is also technically quite challenging to achieve the necessary precision with hand manufacture A geneva mechanism used in watches in the 16th century and in modern film projectors allows a 18 reduction very easily and is silent but

requires an additonal linkage and a locking mechanism to prevent it slipping A ratchet and pawl is rather noisy but has the advantage that the driving pawl can span a fair distance removing the need for an additional linkage such as a drive belt or gear train The movement of both a ratchet and a geneva mechanism is intermittent but for the purpose of stretching the spring this does not matter I made a geneva mechanism to start with but decided that a ratchet and pawl would be more efficient and this was included in the final design

The bottom half of the body shell is wood and the top half is made of papier macirccheacute reinforced with timber and brass struts covered with leather Irsquom not entirely happy with the papier macirccheacute as it dried too quickly and warped I may end up making a replacement top section out of wire-work covered in leather at some stage This will also allow me to make a new slimmer neck as the current one makes the head look disproportionately small

The head horns and legs are hand carved from wood I initially thought Irsquod need the head to be fire-proof and planned to construct a sheet metal head Luckily it turned out that wood was satisfactory because my metalworking skills were not up to the task


18

Fuel

I started research on the fuel for the dragonrsquos fire very early in the design process Initially I did not have the Theatre of Fire reference so I began by looking at modern fire-breathing fuels The first decision to be made was whether to use a liquid fuel such as paraffin kerosene or alcohol or a dry fuel I quickly ruled out liquid fuel because of the problem of fuel residues on the dragon causing difficulty transporting the dragon in my luggage I did not want to set off any alarms during explosives testing at the airport

Of the dry fuels cornstarch (cornflour) seemed to be the one which was used most by fire-breathers I tested both cornflour and powdered sugar (icing sugar) but found that if either of these was at all damp they wouldnrsquot work and risked clogging up whatever delivery mechanism I put into the dragon I considered using some of the suggested alternatives such as non-dairy coffee creamer (eg coffee mate) but then came across references to lycopodium being used for fire effects by magicians There were a number of videos on the internet showing it in use and it looked like a much better fuel option

I purchased a small bottle of lycopodium from a magic shop (marketed rather appropriately as ldquodragonrsquos breathrdquo) and found that it worked very well Lycopodium is also very safe to use and the only potential problem is the small risk of it causing contact dermatitis I was a little surprised by the smell - similar to stale frying oil - when it is burnt something not mentioned in any of the information I had gathered I went on to test the lycopodium using the completed bellows and tubing and discovered that it worked best by loading it into the tubing through the dragonrsquos mouth Adding an aeration chamber to the system did not improve the performance While it would have been nice to have a mechanism for delivering a fresh dose of fuel after each fire breath the lycopodium is very slippery and hard to store in a reservoir without it leaking out so the dragon can only breathe fire once for each time it is loaded with fuel

I did look at the possibility of using an authentic period fuel and tested colophony (powdered rosin) for this purpose This is easily obtained from art supply shops However it burns very smokily and molten but unburned rosin can drip and is much more of a fire risk An additional problem is that it does not flow easily and tends to clog small diameter tubing Repeated exposure to the fumes of burning rosin may also cause asthma (a common problem with using solder fluxes containing rosin)

Power Source

Due to time constraints I was unable to include a wind-up mechanism so the dragon is powered by a simple external hand crank It will take quite a bit of experimentation to get the power and timing of a coil spring compatible with the existing workings and will involve substituting the hand crank with a falling weight (pulling a string wound around an axle) and once this has been calibrated testing coil springs against this to find the right one It will also require a hold-and-release mechanism to stop the dragon winding down before it is ready to use


19

Project Notebooks

Leonardo da Vincirsquos notebooks were a great inspiration to me and I wanted to use include my own working notebooks as part of the project

Researching the notebooks dispelled a few misconceptions There is a bit of a myth that the devices in Leonardorsquos notebooks are the forerunner of all the technology and inventions of our own era He is often said to be ldquohundreds of years ahead of his timerdquo The reality is that his inventions draw on centuries-old traditions of engineering and many of his devices are based on the written works of other engineers and on observations of the activities of other workshops He travelled extensively and sketched machinery and devices that he saw in addition to developing his own ideas There are numerous descriptions and drawings of technology similar to Leonardorsquos in manuscripts from earlier periods and from geographically distant places

What distinguishes Leonardorsquos notebooks is partly the sheer volume There are thousands of drawings remaining and these are thought to represent only about a quarter of his work The Codex Atlanticus alone contained over 1200 pages Other distinctive features of Leonardorsquos work are the use of anatomical studies to help create more life-like movements in his inventions and the high technical quality of the drawings

Unfortunately his drawings and notes are dispersed across many separate collections compiled from his papers after his death so that any original grouping of his work has been lost Between lost drawings separated works and the fact that even within the notebooks there is no clear chronological order it is difficult to know which drawings relate to a single invention For example a project undertaken by roboticist Mark Rosheim to reconstruct Leonardorsquos robot knight34 required a lengthy review of all the existing codices across the world looking for related drawings in order to understand the mechanics involved

My notebooks draw on this tradition While I chose not to handwrite all my notes due to the volume of reference material all the concept and working drawings are in the notebooks where they make a useful contribution to understanding how I developed the design of the dragon


20

34 Mark Rosheim Leonardorsquos Lost Robots

Discussion

This was a formidable project - the research was drawn from over 100 references books websites history documentaries and discussions with historians and pyrotechnic experts - and the design and construction process was rather more difficult and lengthy than I had anticipated But from the very beginning of the project there was a lot of interest in the dragon particularly the fire-breathing aspect It seems everyone loves fire

So why choose this particular project My main focus in the SCA to date has been medieval art materials and techniques especially painting I could simply have chosen a challenging painting project but I decided instead to focus on a very different role of the court artist that of creating spectacular court entertainments I chose a dragon because I wanted to play with fire and because Leonardo da Vinci a major source of inspiration liked dragons a lot His notebooks have a number of drawings of dragons including tiny figures tucked in amongst the horses and cats So I revisited my engineering science studies of 20+ years ago and hoped that the dragon-building would not the overwhelm me

I started the research as soon as I had decided to make the dragon and was immediately surprised by the wealth of material available in contrast to topics I had researched in the past There were a relatively large number of extant examples plus manuscript and book illustrations and contemporary descriptions of geared mechanisms and automata Also many of the documentaries I watched included computer simulations and physical reconstructions of the devices described in manuscripts The technology went much further back and was more geographically widespread and more technically advanced than I had initially appreciated I have come away with a much better understanding of the history of technology and the place of the middle ages within it both from a technical and a sociological perspective

Researching such a large volume of material also had other benefits I learnt how to use a number of features of my word-processing software that I had never used before in order to manage and access the reference material and how to use video-editing software to create a short documentary about the dragon35 I elected fairly early in the process of documentation to include hyperlinked references so that readers (and myself) could find the source material easily and because so many of the images were copyright to include links to those rather than printing them out (other than the ones accompanying the printed copy of the documentation) I also wanted to include plans for constructing the dragon and in the end decided to put all the information on a CD-ROM

Although I did make a lot of use of the computer some notes from the reference material and all the working sketches of the dragonrsquos mechanisms were handwritten into notebooks I used modern pens and pencils for this but from using pen and ink on other projects I have some idea how frustrating it is to have ideas buzzing around in your head and continually having to stop sketching to re-ink your pen


21

35 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=zuebMIlPrUI

The design construction and testing process was very challenging It is one thing to understand how the mechanisms work in theory and altogether another to be able to build them to fit inside an irregularly-shaped body shell with the necessary precision for them to work smoothly in conjunction with multiple other parts I tended to procrastinate during this phase because sometimes it just seemed too hard and ended up having to simplify the design quite a lot One important lesson I learnt was not to try to learn too many new skills at once I do have a much better grasp of how to structure the design process for next time though

During the construction I presented the work in progress a couple of times during SCA events along with a discussion of the mechanical technology behind it This was quite helpful in clarifying what information was important to include in the documentation Meeting and sharing ideas with other people who are interested in the technology has also been one of the really fun aspects of this project A number of people have expressed interest in making their own version of the dragon or something similar and I hope to see some interesting results from this over the next few years


22

Appendix Timeline of Geared Mechanisms and Automata

420 BCE Archytas of Tarenton - wooden pigeon - steamcompressed air

384-322 BCE Archimedes - mechanical problems hydraulic organ planetarium crane claw

280-220 BCE Philo of Byzantium - water wheels mills bird+snake hydraulic device

220 BCE Ctesibius - clepsydra (water clock)

200 BCE China - musical automata

150 BCE Antikythera mechanism treatise on astrolabes (Hipparchus)

1st c BCE Vitruvius (Roman engineer)

75-50 BCE Athens - Tower of the Winds sundials clepsydra planetarium

100 CE Heron of Alexandria - automated theatre holy water dispenser aeolopile

350 CE Theon of Alexandria - treatise on astrolabes

550CE John Philoponus - treatise on astrolabe in Greek

mid 7th c Severus Sebokht - Mesopotamia - treatise on astrolabe in Syriac

692 CE Chinese clock

751 CE Chinese prisoners in Samarkand - papermaking water-powered trip hammers

8th c earliest Islamic astrolabes

800-1150 CE Islamic translation movement

9th c Book of Ingenious Devices pneumatic hydraulic book on mechanics Arabic treatises on astrolabes

10th c earliest preserved astrolabes Arabic treatise on devices including automata Caliphate of Baghdad - automaton Byzantine treatise on Throne of Solomon in Constantinople


23

11th c China - astronomical tower clock of Su Sung al-Biruni - scientist mining technology astronomical instruments al-Murcei - Spain - water clocks automata Gerbert of Aurillac (later Pope Silvester II) introduced astrolabe to Europe

12th c al-Jazari - book of ingenious mechanical devices musicians elephant clock Sanskrit descriptions of automata

1221 oldest surviving complete gear train - Persian astrolabe

1225-50 Villard de Honnecourt - water powered saw weight driven clock ropepulley mechanism to turn angel

late 13th c Duc Phillipe Count of Artois Hesdin Castle - garden devices mechanical apes

1292-1336 Richard of Wallingford - astronomical clock

1364 Giovanni de Dondi - astronomical table clock

14th c table fountain

1415th c tower clocks jaquemarts automated carillons

1495 Leonardo da Vinci - robot knight coil spring illustrations

1515 Leonardo da Vinci - robot lion

16th c Hans Bullman - automata Gianello Torriano - automata Toledo waterworks

1545 John Dee - flying wooden beetle

1564 Ambroise Pareacute - mechanical hand

16th c Rood of Grace Boxley Abbey firework-propelled dragon on wire devil automaton

1617th c China Japan India via Jesuit missionaries - clocks and automata

18th c Japanese karakuri puppetsautomata such as tea-serving automata


24

Bibliography

Introduction

BBC Leonardo da Vinci [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=396640AD4E80E453

BBC Science and Islam [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=13FCAA75A25F5986

Cellini Benvenuto The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (translation by J Addington Symonds 1888) The Lowell Press (undated edition)

Grimmer Rachel My Medieval Life [blog]httpmymedievallifewordpresscom

History Channel (2007) Ancient Discoveries - Machines III (Ancient China) [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=33E6C4E9F72942A5

History Channel (2007) Ancient Discoveries - Machines of the East (al-Jazari) [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=77FAA19FBD9A5252

History Channel (2007) Ancient Discoveries - Islamic Science [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=8A77A9704DDA1BEF

History Channel (2007) Ancient Discoveries - Robots [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=DCEC2C6521E2DE66

King Elizabeth Clockwork Prayer Juanello Turriano Blackbird Archive Spring 2001 Vol 1 No 1 (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_4htm

Leonardo da Vincirsquos Lion Robot for the King of France Year 1515 [animation] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=7jBkwCWxaic

Nature Video Channel (2008) Antikythera mechanism [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=DF4C1A6FE6B780E0

Reuters Da Vincirsquos mechanical lion walks [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=xNWE2AdfNuo


25

Simon Schaffer on the history of clocks [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=E51C9224D63C139E

Wikipedia Artificio de Juanelo (accessed Feb 2011)httpenwikipediaorgwikiArtificio_de_Juanelo

ZuffiStefano European Art of the Fifteenth Century (English translation by D Phillips) Getty Publications 2005


Bedini Silvio A The Role of Automata in the History of Technology Technology and Culture Vol 5 No 1 (Winter 1964) pp24-42 [article scanned and edited by Michael Anderson 1999]

Brewer Derek Chaucer in His Time Longman Group 1973University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 82117 B847

Eamon William Science and the Secrets of Nature Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Culture Princeton University Press 1994

Hill Donald A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times Croom Helm Ltd 1984University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 62000901 HILL

Historian Wins Grant For Study of Medieval Automata Medievalistsnet (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwmedievalistsnet20100713historian-wins-grant-for-study-of-medieval-automata

Lightsey S Manmade Marvels in Medieval Culture and Literature Palgrave Macmillan 2007 (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwgoodreadscombookshow3409158Manmade_Marvels_in_Medieval_Culture_and_Literaturehttpwwwgoodreadscomreviewshow110164300 (book review) (accessed Feb 2011)

Misa Thomas J Leonardo to the Internet technology and culture from the renaissance to the present The Johns Hopkins University Press 2004University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 60903 MISA

Nocks Lisa The Robot the life story of a technology Greenwood Press 2007University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 629892 NOCK

The British Museum The Mechanical Galleon (accessed Feb 2011)


26

httpwwwbritishmuseumorgexplorehighlightshighlight_objectspe_mlaathe_mechanical_galleonaspx

The Cleveland Museum of Art 14th Century French Table Fountain [text photos animation] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwframemuseumsorgjspfiche_oeuvrejspSTNAV=ampRUBNAV=ampCODE=O1145960965048291ampLANGUE=1ampRH=UsaFRAMEMuseumsampOBJET_PROVENANCE=COLLECTION

httpwwwgettyeduartexhibitionsmedieval_treasures

Whyte Nicholas 1999 The Astronomical Clock of Richard of Wallingford [essay] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwnicholaswhyteinforowhtm

Zuffi Stefano European Art of the Fifteenth Century (English translation by D Phillips) Getty Publications 2005


al-Hassan Ahmad Y Al Jazari and the History of the Water Clock (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwhistory-science-technologycomArticlesarticles 6htm

Banu Musa bin Shakir Kitab al-Hiyal (The Book of Ingenious Devices) 9th century [Muhammad Ahmad and al-Hassan bin Musa ibn Shakir] translated and annotated by Donald R Hill D Reidel Publishing Company 1979University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 620106 MUHA


Brumbaugh Robert Ancient Greek Gadgets and Machines Thomas Y Cromwell Company 1966University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 60938 B893

Burnett-Stuart Astronomical Clocks of the Middle Ages A Guided Tour(2 parts) (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwalmagestcoukmiddleastclkhtmhttpwwwalmagestcoukmiddleastclk_2htm

Butterworth Philip Magic on the Early English Stage Cambridge University Press 2005University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 79380942 BUTT


27

Cansdale Lena The Radhanites 9th Century Jewish International Traders Aust J Jewish Studies Volume X Numbers 1 amp 2 1996 pp 65-77 [editorial copy]

Cigola M Greek and Muslim Automata Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference on Ancient Greek Technology 2006httpwebuserunicasitcigolapubArticoli06_Atenepdf

de Dondirsquos Astrarium (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwalmagestcoukinfohtm

Dolezal Mary-Lyon and Mavroudi Maria Theodore Hyratkenosrsquo Description of the Garden of St Anna and the Ekphrasis of Gardens - extract from Byzantine Garden Culture edited by Antony Littlewood Henry Maguire and Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection 2002

Fallon S (2009) Da Vincirsquos Lion Brought To Life After 500 Years (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwgizmodocomau200908da-vincis-mechanical-lion-brought-to-life-after-500-years

Freeth T et al Decoding the Antikythera Mechanism Investigation of an Ancient Astronomical Calculator Nature Volume 444 Issue 7119 (2006) pp 578-591

Gopalakrishna Srikumar V (1998) Indiarsquos Tradition of Flying Machines (accessed Mar 2011)httpwwwthink-aboutitcomthinkerindexphpcomponentcontentarticle191-in-history2118-the-story-of-vimanas-indias-tradition-of-flying-machines


History Channel (2008) Engineering an Empire China (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomview_play_listp=5569B01861D4CEBC

Hornyak Timothy N Loving the Machine The Art and Science of Japanese Robots Kodansha International 2006 State Library of Victoria


28

Ihsanoglu E (ed) History of Science and Technology in Islam Transfer of Islamic Technology to the West (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwhistory-science-technologycomArticlesarticles 7htm

I ropebot [the string control mechanism of Heron of Alexandriarsquos theatre] Reed Business Information 2007 (accessed Feb 2011)httpsmart-gridtmcnetcomnews200707062766138htm

Johnston B 2004 Leonardo da Vinci [article on his 3-wheeled cart] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwww3wheelerscomleonardohtml

King Elizabeth Clockwork Prayer Blackbird Archive Spring 2001 Vol 1 No 1 (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_introductionhtm [first page + links to next 11 pages]httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Ycyj76VPOtc [video]

Leonardo da Vincirsquos Robots (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwallonrobotscomleonardo-da-vincihtml


Museum of the History of Science Astrolabe [Persian geared astrolabe c1221] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwmhsoxacukastrolabecataloguebrowseReportAstrolabe_ID=165html

Nadarajan Gunalan Islamic Automation A Reading of Al-Jazarirsquos Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (accessed Feb 2011)httpmuslimheritagecomtopicsdefaultcfmArticleID=1032


Quigley Chris 2009 Leonardorsquos Lion (accessed Feb 2011)httpquigleyscabinetblogspotcom200908leonardos-lionhtml

Rosheim Mark Leonardorsquos Lost Robots Springer State Library of Victoria Redmond Barry Reading Room B629892 R73L

Smithsonian Institution (1978) Automaton figure of a monk South Germany or Spain c1560httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Ycyj76VPOtc


29

Swets amp Zeitlinger The Talking Brass Head As a Symbol of Dangerous Knowledge in lsquoFriar Baconrsquo and in lsquoAlphonsus King of Aragonrsquo English Studies 1999 5 pp 408-422httpirisnyitedu~klagrandbrass head articlepdf

The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwantikythera-mechanismgr

The British Museum The Mechanical Galleon (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwbritishmuseumorgexplorehighlightshighlight_objectspe_mlaathe_mechanical_galleonaspx

The Cleveland Museum of Art 14th Century French Table Fountain [text photos animation] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwframemuseumsorgjspfiche_oeuvrejspSTNAV=ampRUBNAV=ampCODE=O1145960965048291ampLANGUE=1ampRH=UsaFRAMEMuseumsampOBJET_PROVENANCE=COLLECTIONandhttpwwwgettyeduartexhibitionsmedieval_treasures

Turner AJ The Tragicall History of Giovanni dersquo Dondi [book review] Journal for the History of Astronomy Vol 6 (1975) 126-131 reprinted by Science History Publicationshttparticlesadsabsharvardedufull1975JHA6126T0000126000html

Wikipedia Su Song (accessed Feb 2011)httpenwikipediaorgwikiSu_Song

Wikipedia Zhang He (accessed Feb 2011)httpenwikipediaorgwikiZhang_He

Woodcroft Bennet The Pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria [full text translation] Taylor Walton and Maberley 1851httpwwwhistoryrochesteredusteamheroindexhtml



Butterworth Philip Theatre of Fire Special Effects in Early English and Scottish Theatre Society For Theatre Research 1998


30

della Porta Gianbattista Magia Naturalis Volume 12 Artificial Fire (transcribed from the 1658 English edition of Natural Magick) Gianbattista della Porta 1535-1615 (accessed Feb 2011)httphomepagestscnetcomomard1jportac12html

della Porta Gianbattista Magia Naturalis Volume 14 Of Cookery [a boiled peacock may seem to be alive](transcribed from the 1658 English edition of Natural Magick) Gianbattista della Porta 1535-1615 (accessed Feb 2011)httphomepagestscnetcomomard1jportac14html


Matterer James (1997-2009) Gode Cookery Presents Incredible Foods Solteies and Entremets Redressed Peacocks which Seem Living and How to Make them Breathe Fire through their Mouth - from Cuoco Napoletano(source Scully Terence Cuoco Napoletano The Neapolitan Recipe Collection (New York Pierpont Morgan Library MS Buhler 19) A Critical Edition and English Translation Ann Arbor The University of Michigan Press 2000)httpwwwgodecookerycomincrdincrdhtm

Morren Charles Dodonaeliga ou recueil dobservations de botanique (Dodonaeliga or A Collection of Botanical Observations) Bruxelles Chez Muquardt Libraire Place Royale 1841 [ebook]httpbooksgooglecombooksid=9kkZAAAAYAAJampsource=gbs_navlinks_s

Scully Terence The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages Boydell Press 1995University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 64159409 SCUL

The pyreolophore Nieacutepce House website (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwniepcecompaguspireus1html


Banu Musa bin Shakir (Muhammad Ahmad and al-Hassan ibn Musa ibn Shakir) Kitab al-Hiyal (The Book of Ingenious Devices) 9th century [translated and annotated by Donald R Hill] D Reidel Publishing Company 1979University of Melbourne Bailleau Library 620106 MUHA


Cianchi Marco Leonardorsquos Machines Edzioni Becocci 1988


31


Le Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwmacchinedileonardocomindexphp

Smithsonian Institution (1978) Automaton figure of a monk South Germany or Spain c1560 (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Ycyj76VPOtc

Designing and Constructing the Dragon

Addams Robert How To Design and Make Automata Craft Education 2001available to purchase online as a pdf file at the link below(84 pages)httpwwwmechanical-toyscomBOOKhtm

Calvert J B 1999 Old Gears (accessed Feb 2011)httpmysiteduedu~jcalverttecholdgearshtm

Faraday lecture demonstration of lycopodium powder [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwdnatubecomvideo6416Faraday-Lecture--Lycopodium-Powder-Explosion

Fire Breathing With Cornstarch [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=vjrOl7cb98E

Garrard F J Clock Repairing and Making Chapter 4 Special Tools and Processes Technical Press London 1948

Gear Template Generator (accessed Feb 2011)httpwoodgearscagear_cuttingtemplatehtml

Geneva Wheel (accessed Mar 2011)Kinematic Models For Design Digital Library Cornell Universityhttpkmoddllibrarycornelledumodelphpm=239

Ives Robert (2011) robivescom Designing Paper Animations (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwrobivescommechs

Lycopodium Demonstration Kit [video] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=TGDuoDnbPTc


32

Wikipedia Bellows (accessed Mar 2011)httpenwikipediaorgwikiBellows

Project Notebooks


Dean Katrina Keeping books of nature An introduction to Leonardo da Vincirsquos Codices Arundel and Leicester The British Library Board (undated accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblukttp2pdfleonardodeanpdf

Pedretti Carlo Introduction to Leonardorsquos Codex Arundel [extract][originally published as Il Codice Arundel 263 nella British Library (Firenze Giunti) 1998extracts translated by Ros Flinn] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblukttp2pdfleonardopedretti1pdf


The British Museum Leonardorsquos Notebooks [website] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblukonlinegalleryonlineexremarkmanuleonardoindexhtml

The British Museum Turning the Pages The Leonardo Notebook [interactive version of British Library Arundel MS 263] (accessed Feb 2011)httpwwwblukonlinegalleryttpleonardoaccessibleintroductionhtml


33

Guide to Illustrations in the Text

16th century woodcut showing a firework-operated dragon which runs on a wire Butterworth Philip Theatre of Fire Special Effects in Early English and Scottish Theatre Society For Theatre Research 1998

Antikythera Mechanism fragment Ahttpwwwantikythera-mechanismgrdataptmfull-resolution-ptm

x-ray of fragment A of the Antikythera MechanismNational Archaeological Museum of Athenshttpwwwshawinspectionsystemscomlibraryantikytheradrfragmenthtmfragment=A

Persian geared astrolabe 1221CE the oldest known complete gear trainMuseum of the History of Science OxfordhttpwwwmhsoxacukastrolabecataloguebrowseReportAstrolabe_ID=165html

Astronomical water clock of Su Sung 11th centuryIllustration from Su Songs book Xin Yi Xiang Fa Yao 1092CEhttpenwikipediaorgwikiFileClock_Tower_from_Su_Song27s_BookJPG

French manuscript illustration of a weight-driven chamber clock 15th centuryBodleian Library OxfordBruton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979Brighton Library Melbourne

Italian automaton (The Devil) carved in wood 15th and 16th centuries from the Wunderkammer owned by Ludovico Settala It could roll its eyes and move its tongue emit a noise and spit smoke from the mouth Applied Arts Collections Museum Sforza Castle Milanhttp3bpblogspotcom_u1qqrekBzsQTOqSbRQ13jIAAAAAAAAALwZi9xkG4YeZss1600Milano_-_Castello_sforzesco_-_Diavolo-automa_di_Settala_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall2527Orto_-_6-1-2007_-_01jpg

Drawing of a design for a mechanical prosthetic hand by surgeon Ambroise Pareacute 16th CFrom Ambroise Pareacutes Instrumenta chyrurgiae et icones anathomicae (Surgical Instruments and Anatomical Illustrations) Paris 1564(source unrecorded)

18th century Japanese manuscript describing the design of a tea-serving automatonhttpwwwanthrobotcompress_imagesfigure02jpg


34

Woodcut of a trumpet for blowing powder fuel over a flame 16th CButterworth Philip Theatre of Fire Special Effects in Early English and Scottish Theatre Society For Theatre Research 1998

Lycopodium clavatumLycopodium clubmoss showing the spore-forming bodies

Table fountain 14th CGetty Museumhttpwwwgettyeduartexhibitionsmedieval_treasures [select High Gothic from menu then Table Fountain]

Clock jacquemart Southwold Cathedral 15th ChttpwwwcraftsmanshipmuseumcomimagesBates29jpg

Cittern player automaton 16th CKunsthistorisches Museum Vienna httpwwwkhmatenkunsthistorisches-museumcollectionscollection-of-sculpture-and-decorative-artsautomatons-and-clocksaid=0ampoffset_1182=0ampcHash=f1e9882991

Monk automaton 16th CSmithsonian Institutionhttpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_figureshtm

Worm gear Madrid Codex I f 17 vCianchi Marco Leonardorsquos Machines Edzioni Becocci 1988

Crown and lantern gears Ms HCianchi Marco Leonardorsquos Machines Edzioni Becocci 1988

Detail of bellows from a muscial galleon 16th CBritish Museum Londonhttpwwwbritishmuseumorgexplorehighlightshighlight_imageaspximage=ps335827jpgampretpage=20506

One of Leonardo da Vincirsquos notebooks (Codex Forster III) c1490Victoria and Albert Museum Londonhttpfarm3staticflickrcom26004185539033_2a4973c76ejpg

Automata mechanisms ratchets Robert Addams websitehttpwwwmechanical-toyscomratchetshtm


35

Guide to Illustrations in the Supplement


Xray of Antikythera Mechanism fragment Ahttpwwwshawinspectionsystemscomlibraryantikytheradrfragmenthtmfragment=A

Reconstruction of Heron of Alexandriarsquos coin-operated holy water vending machinehttpimgyoutubecomvi2nadZEpAt0o0jpg

Reconstruction of Heron of Alexandriarsquos aeolopilehttpwwwsmitheduhscmuseumancient_inventionsimagessteamengine1jpg

Reconstruction of Heron of Alexanndriarsquos string-programmable carthttptechnologynewscientistcomdataimagesarchive261126111601jpg

Al-Jazarirsquos automaton orchestrasource unrecorded

Al-Jazarirsquos serving girl automatonhttpwwwalshindagahcommarapr2005jazirihtml

Al-Jazarirsquos elephant clocksource unrecorded

Reconstruction of al-Jazarirsquos elephant clockhttpfarm1staticflickrcom75171221461_1a4b705929jpg

Geared Persian astrolabe 1221CEhttpwwwmhsoxacukastrolabecataloguebrowseReportAstrolabe_ID=165html

Geared Persian astrolabe 1221CEhttpwwwmhsoxacukastrolabeimages4821348213_gearing_detailjpg

Iron chamber clock in a 15th C French manuscriptp47 Bruton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979 Brighton Library Melbourne


36

Giovanni de Dondirsquos clockIllustration from Givanni de Dondirsquos Il Tractus Astarii describing the construction of his 1348-1364 astrarium clock Earliest known drawing of a clock escapement showing the crown wheel and the balance p34 Bruton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979 Brighton Library Melbourne

Part of the mechanism of the 1386 Salisbury Cathedral Clockp39 Brunton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979 Brighton Library Melbourne

14th C French table fountainGetty Museum Los Angeleshttpwwwgettyeduartexhibitionsmedieval_treasures and

httpwwwframemuseumsorgjspfiche_oeuvrejspSTNAV=ampRUBNAV=ampCODE=O1145960965048291ampLANGUE=1ampRH=GalleriesampOBJET_PROVENANCE=GALERIEampPAGE_NAVIGATION=1

Meacuterode Cup c1400 VampA Museum LondonhttpcollectionsvamacukitemO93263cup-and-cover-the-merode-cup

Nuremberg Cup c1500 VampA Museum LondonhttpcollectionsvamacukitemO98822cup

Cock automaton from the top of first Strasbourg Cathedral clock 1354p239 Bruton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979 Brighton Library Melbourne

15th C jacquemart Southwold Churchhttpwwwflickrcomphotos42611808N054887271597

Automaton from the Wells Cathedral clock 1392 four knights joustingp249 Bruton Eric The History of Clocks and Watches Crescent Books New York 1979 Brighton Library Melbourne

Jacquemart known as ldquoJack Blandiferrdquo also from the Wells Cathedral clock The mechanism dates from 1390 but the figure was replaced in the 17th Chttpwwwflickrcomphotospaullew4346114314inphotostream


37

Schlottheim NefBritish museumhttpwwwbritishmuseumorgexplorehighlightshighlight_imageaspximage=ps289436jpgampretpage=28137

httpwwwbritishmuseumorgexplorehighlightshighlight_imageaspximage=ps335826jpgampretpage=20506



Nef tabletop automaton 16th CKunsthistorisches Museum Viennahttpwwwkhmatnocacheenkunsthistorisches-museumcollectionscollection-of-sculpture-and-decorative-artsautomatons-and-clocksaid=1ampcHash=ff7a3a54f0ampprint=1

Tabletop automaton 16th CKunsthistorisches Museum Vienna httpwwwkhmatnocacheenkunsthistorisches-museumcollectionscollection-of-sculpture-and-decorative-artsautomatons-and-clocksaid=2ampcHash=54c8c53922ampprint=1

Tabletop automaton Augsberg c1600httpwwwchristiescomdepartmentsclocks-marine-chronometers-and-barometers

Tabletop automaton 16th CKunsthistorisches Museum Vienna httpwwwkhmatnocacheenkunsthistorisches-museumcollectionscollection-of-sculpture-and-decorative-artsautomatons-and-clocksaid=3ampcHash=1d77539f17ampprint=1

Cittern player automaton 16th Chttpwwwkhmatenkunsthistorisches-museumcollectionscollection-of-sculpture-and-decorative-artsautomatons-and-clocksaid=0ampoffset_1182=0ampcHash=f1e9882991

Mechanism of cittern player automatonhttpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_figureshtm

Male saint musical automaton from the court of Charles V possibly the work of J Turriano Madrid 1570-80httpwwwkornbluthphotocomimagesAutomatonSt1jpg


38

Mechanism inside the saint automatonhttpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_figureshtm

Praying monk automaton 16th Chttpwwwblackbirdvcueduv1n1nonfictionking_eprayer_figureshtm

Mechanical monk 1560Deutsches Museum Munichhttpwwwrobotonlinenetentimeline

Italian devil automaton 16th CApplied Arts Collections Museum Sforza Castle Milanhttpfarm5staticflickrcom40694671626141_4051ff2f2bjpg

Tabletop automaton c 1600httpcommunitylivejournalcombaroque_art9367html

Reconstruction of an 18th C Japanese tea-serving automatonNote the similarity in the mechanism to 16th century European exampleshttpwwwresearchukyeduodysseyfeaturesjapanhtml

Illustration from Karakuri Zui (Illustrated Machinery) 1796Woodblock printed text by Yorinao Hosogawahttpwwwanthrobotcompress_imagesfigure02jpg

Illustration of a mechanical prosthetic hand by surgeon Ambroise Pareacute 16th CFrom Ambroise Pareacutes Instrumenta chyrurgiae et icones anathomicae (Surgical Instruments and Anatomical Illustrations) Paris 1564(source unrecorded)

Reconstruction of Leonardo da Vincirsquos robot knight c1495httpwwwmacchinedileonardocomindexphpmachines-mechanics4

One of several reconstructions of Leonardo da Vincirsquos lion c1515httpwwwlovingitcoukimages2009-08_da-vinci-lionjpg

One of Leonardo da Vincirsquos notebooks (Codex Forster III) 1490-3VampA Museum London

Dragon drawing by Leonardo da Vincihttpdragondreamingfileswordpresscom200910davincidragonlionjpg


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Dragon drawing Leonardo da Vincisource unrecorded

Detail of a reconstruction of one of Leonardo da Vincirsquos mechanisms - drum camsource unrecorded

Springs Madrid Codex I f 85httpwwwanthrobotcompressarticle_leo_programmablephp

Cams and non-circular gears Madrid Codex I f 28 vhttpwwwanthrobotcompressarticle_leo_programmablephp


Crown and lantern gearsCianchi Marco Leonardorsquos Machines Edzioni Becocci 1988


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Contents

Introduction 3

Part 1 The History and Technology of Automata and Geared Mechanisms 4

Artisans and the Role of Automata in the Courts 5

The History of Geared Mechanisms and Automata 7

The Use and Technology of Fire in Medieval Entertainment 10

Mechanisms and Materials in Medieval Automata 12

Part 2 Design Construction and Testing of the Dragon Automaton 14

Design and Construction 15

Project Notebooks 20

Discussion 21

Appendix Timeline of Geared Mechanisms and Automata 23

Bibliography 25

Guide to Illustrations in the Text 34

Guide to Illustrations in the Supplement 36


1







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Introduction







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Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



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Fuel





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Discussion







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Introduction














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Introduction














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Introduction














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Discussion







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Introduction














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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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10




Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



14







15








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







21





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24

Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Lycopodium





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31 British Museum



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16







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Fuel





Power Source



19

Project Notebooks







20


Discussion







21





22





















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24

Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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31 British Museum



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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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31 British Museum



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15








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







20


Discussion







21





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Bibliography

Introduction














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28














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Project Notebooks








33












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14







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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














25















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Project Notebooks








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15








16







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Fuel





Power Source



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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














25















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Project Notebooks








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














25















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27












28














29













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31















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Project Notebooks








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Fuel





Power Source



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Project Notebooks







20


Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














25















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27












28














29













30













31















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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks







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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Discussion







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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Bibliography

Introduction














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31















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Project Notebooks








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23



















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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








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Bibliography

Introduction














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31















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Project Notebooks








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Bibliography

Introduction














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Project Notebooks








33












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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Project Notebooks








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Medieval Dragon Automaton

Documents

Transcript of Medieval Dragon Automaton