Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-04-03
A SPECTACLE OF DA vINcrs.
An Incident in 14s9 Which Evinced
HIS Mechanical Science and
P0eticaI Imaxination.

P0eticai Imagination.
An Incident occurred in 1883 which
evinced the poetical Imagination and the
mechanical science of Leonardo da vinci in
a striking manner. says the Architect. 1t
was upon the marriage Of the young Duke
Giovanni Galeazzo to Donna Isabella. of
AraSon- Among the various pageantries
with which the ceremony was enlivened
one outshone all the rest in magnihcenee
and singularity, and ii was conceived by
the fertile fancy OF the renowned Floren-
tine painter. Happily. the details of this
inimitably graceful fete have been recorded
by the contemporary pen of Mgr. Saba
da CastigiiOne: Late on the evening of
the day upon which the august nupIials
We're summoned by the sound of busles
to an open theater, constructed after the
fashion Of the ancient amphitheaters at
tached to the ducal palace of Milan. Sill
yer tripods. bearing vessels of p~orphyry.
are disposed at intervals between the
Denches; under the tripods are torches of
burning romati gums and incense By
this arrangement of the decorations, as well
as by the gradual closing in Of twilight. a
subdued and fiuctuating light is produced
winch not only renders the 1ewelry and
costumes OF the spectators unusually pic
turesque. but materially assists the iilu-
A buzz from the assemblage-a patter-
ing OF rose blossoms upon the arras car
bride to the seat of dignity, both of them
robed in white velvet. slashed with violet
SIX and cinctured with cloth of gold.
both crowned with flowers. Another muir
nun arises from the assembly: II is Leon
ardo, seated under one of the tripods, hold
Ing In his hand a golden Tyre of his own
construction, shaped like a horses skull.
upon which, say tine Italian chroniclers. he
played with such ravishing melody as to be
accounted the finest extempOraneous per-
former of his age His fingers are upon the
strings-there is q death-like silence. his
hand strays over, the instrument deity:
playfully, wisningly, as though he would
decoy the wandering spirits of the air;
there Is a meditation In the melody; it is
sorroWful, II is weeping, and now 1t rolls
upwards-higher-it gains enthusiasm-it
head. A cry of wonder bursts from the
assembly; one OF those stars seems to for
sake its place in the heayens-it rushes
downward-it approaches them-it is a
moon
The orb floats over the theater to the
ripping Of the strings upOn the golden
skull. The globe opens and the god Mer-
curry is revealed in its center. his feet
chants a bridal song-the epithalamium OF
Giovanni Galeazzo. The planet closes and
is replaced BY another; from 1t energies
Venus. girdled with the zone Of love-her
After Venus, Mars, with the god in his
battle harness-hiS bridal verse is chival- |
rous and lusty. Then the Father OF
Olympus grasping his baleful thunder
and lastly, after Jupiter. Saturn. the sad
and venerable. Then. while the planets
are revolving in concentric circles above
the theater like five gigantic moons, while
them under the fingers of its master, a |
bright light illumineS the whole city, a |
thousand bonfires are ignited. the bells
in the turrets are ringing. their clamor y
tude. and the optical delusion OF Leonardo3 |
is completed. |