Mariano Taccola facts for kids
Mariano Taccola (born 1381, died around 1453) was an amazing Italian artist, engineer, and manager. He lived during the early Renaissance, a time of great new ideas. Taccola wrote two important books: De ingeneis and De machinis. These books were filled with his own hand-drawn pictures of many new machines. They also had descriptions of how these machines worked. Later, famous people like Leonardo da Vinci used Taccola's books to learn about engineering.
Contents
Life of Mariano Taccola
Mariano Taccola was born in Siena, Italy, in 1381. His father, Jacopo, was a wine merchant. Taccola had many different jobs throughout his life. He worked as a wood carver, making decorations for churches. He was also a public official and a secretary at a hospital. Taccola was a sculptor and an engineer too.
Most of what we know about Taccola comes from his own books. He started his first book, De ingeneis, in 1419 and finished it in 1433. This book likely helped him get a job as a supervisor for roads and water systems. He stopped working in this role in the 1440s.
Taccola's second book, De machinis, came out in 1449. It included updated drawings from his first book, plus many new ones. It seems he lived in Siena his whole life. The city paid him a pension for his work as an administrator. He stopped receiving this pension in 1453, which might mean he died that year. However, another document from 1453 says he became a friar.
Taccola's Inventions and Drawings
Taccola was one of the first artist-engineers of the Renaissance. He invented a new way of making technical drawings. This method is called an exploded-view drawing. In these drawings, you can see all the parts of an object separated. The drawing also shows how they fit together. This made it easier to understand complex machines.
After Taccola died, his work was mostly forgotten until the 1900s. His original books were found in two museums only after 1960. These original works were much better than the copies scholars had seen before. Now, people understand how important his work was.
Advice from a Famous Architect
Taccola knew several artists and architects from Siena. He even interviewed the famous Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi. Taccola wrote down what Brunelleschi said in one of his notebooks.
Brunelleschi advised Taccola not to explain his inventions to people who didn't understand machines. He said that great ideas should not be given to those who might speak badly of them or who are jealous. He believed that sharing too much about your inventions was like giving away the reward of your cleverness. Brunelleschi felt that people who don't know much won't understand, even when things are explained. Their lack of knowledge might even make them angry.
Images for kids
-
Overbalanced wheel and war machines, by Taccola
-
Machines, by Taccola, De ingeneis
-
Paddle boat system, by Taccola, De machinis (1449)
See also
In Spanish: Taccola para niños
