1400s Collection (page 8)

Da Vincis webbed glove for swimming
Da Vincis webbed glove. Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) of a webbed glove designed to be worn on the hand of a swimmer to provide extra propulsion

Columbuss ship the Santa Maria. The Santa Maria was the Italian explorer Christopher Columbuss (1451-1506) flagship during his voyages that discovered the New World

Da Vincis underwater breathing apparatus. Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) of his design for a snorkel-like breathing tube

Wound sites, 15th century artwork
Wound sites. 15th century anatomical diagram illustrating the various injuries and their common sites. The diagram, known as a wound man, is from Hieronymus Brunschwigs Book of Cirurgia (Strassburg)

Bloodletting sites, 15th century diagram
Bloodletting sites. 15th century diagram with Latin text illustrating the veins where blood was extracted using cuts or leeches

Early phrenology. 15th-century woodcut attributed to the German artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528). It was published in Nuremburg, Germany, in 1498, in a book titled Trilogiam Animae

Map of diseases, 15th century diagram
Map of diseases. 15th century diagram with Latin text illustrating which diseases commonly afflict specific parts of the body

Common diseases, 15th century diagram
Common diseases. 15th century diagram with Latin text illustrating which diseases commonly afflict the body. The diagram, known as a disease man

Leonardo da Vinci museum, Italy
Leonardo da Vinci museum. The building at right, the Castello dei Conti Guidi, in the town of Vinci, Italy, houses the Museo Leonardiano. The building dates from the 13th century

Da Vinci coat-of-arms, Leonardo museum
Da Vinci coat-of-arms on the wall of a farmhouse in Anchiano, a village near Vinci, Italy. This is thought to be where the Italian artist

Leonardo da Vinci birthplace and museum. This is the farmhouse in Anchiano, a village near Vinci, Italy, where it is thought Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was born

Laurens Janszoon Coster, Dutch printer
Laurens Janszoon Coster (c.1370-c.1440), Dutch printer, with a printing clamp and printed pages. Coster was a citizen of Haarlem, in the Netherlands, and held the position of sexton (Koster)

Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist
Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), German mineralogist. Georgius Agricola is the latinised version of his given name, Georg Bauer. Agricola worked as a doctor in a number of mining towns in Saxony

Johann Gutenberg, German inventor
Johann Gutenberg (1398-1468), German inventor of the printing press. This statue of Gutenberg, carved by Bertel Thorwaldsen (1770-1844), is in Mainz, Germany, Gutenburgs birthplace

Erasmus, Dutch theologian
Erasmus (c.1466-1536), Dutch theologian. Born Gerrit Gerritszoon, and later known as Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, Erasmus studied in monastic schools

Astronomical clock, artwork
Astronomical clock. Computer artwork based on the 15th century astronomical clock in Prague, Czech Republic. This clock charts the positions of the Sun

Johannes Gutenberg, German printer
Johannes Gutenberg (c.1398-1468), German printer and publisher. Gutenbergs development of moveable type, combined with his printing press, allowed the mass production of printed books

Sebastian Cabot, Italian explorer

Africa, from Fra Mauros world map, 1457
Africa, from Fra Mauros Great Map of the World, 1457. Fra Mauro was a 15th century Italian monk and cartographer. In producing this map, which has been inverted from the original to put north at top

Lorenzo de Medici, Italian statesman
Lorenzo de Medici (1449-1492), Italian statesman, historical lithograph. The powerful Medici family combined running the Medici bank with being the de facto rulers of the Republic of Florence

Questi et inventioni diverse by Tartaglia
Questi et inventioni diverse by Niccolo Tartaglia. Fold-out plate from the publication Questi et inventioni diverse, 1546, by the Italian mathematician Niccolo Tartaglia (1499-1557)

Gold headdress, Chimu Imperial
Gold headdress and ear ornaments, Chimu Imperial Epoch (1300 AD1532 AD). The main design of the headdress is composed of a feline face with a birds beak. Serpents hang from the ear ornaments

Alessandro Achillini, Italian philosopher
Alessandro Achillini (1463-1512). 16th Century portrait of the Italian philosopher and physician Alessandro Achillini, from his publication Opera omnia (1568)

Niccolo Tartaglia, Italian mathematician
Niccolo Tartaglia (1499-1557). 1546 woodcut portrait of the Italian mathematician Niccolo Tartaglia. Tartaglias greatest mathematical achievement was the solution to cubic equations

Paris hospital, 15th century
Paris hospital. 15th-century artwork of nuns and patients in an early medieval hospital in Paris, France. This is the Hotel-Dieu de Paris, founded in 651, the oldest hospital in Paris

Cardiac treatise, 15th century
Cardiac treatise. Page on the heart, from a 15th-century French work titled Le Livre des Proprietes des Choses. This is a later edition of a work that was originally published as De proprietatibus

Ensisheim meteor fall, 1492
Ensisheim meteor fall. Woodcut showing the fall of a meteorite in 1492 near the villages of Ensisheim and Battenheim (both labelled), then in Germany (German text across top)

15th Century German woodcut print. Historical print of mythical sea creatures - from top: a bull, a dog, and a horse - from Hortus sanitatis (the origin of health), Johann von Cube (1491)

Invention of engraving, medieval Europe
Invention of engraving in medieval Europe. This engraver is holding a copperplate depiction of Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child

Multiple births, satirical artwork
Multiple births. 16th century artwork showing multiple births of dogs (centre) and humans (right). Seven births are depicted, common for dogs but very rare for humans

Medieval geographer. Artwork of a 15th century geographer using a pair of dividers to measure distances on a terrestrial globe showing the known regions of the Earth

Chinese armada, artwork
Chinese armada. Artwork showing the ships used by a fleet (armada) from China. The most famous of these was the fleet that explored the Indian Ocean and the coasts of South-East Asia between 1405

Ensisheim meteorite fragment. Piece of the Ensisheim meteorite that fell on 7th November 1492. This was the earliest recorded European meteorite

Herbal medicine, 15th century
Herbal medicine. 15th-century manuscript page showing women gathering plants for use in herbal medicine. The text across bottom is in Latin

Zodiacal man, 15th century
Zodiacal man. 15th-century manuscript page showing a human figure labelled with the signs of the zodiac corresponding to parts of the body

John Colet, English humanist
John Colet (1467-1519), English humanist and reformer. Colet was born in London and educated at St. Anthonys School and at Magdalene College, Oxford

15th century surgical equipment, artwork
15th century surgical equipment. Historical artwork titled Armamentarium, showing surgical instruments and an operating table

Inca quipu counting device, artwork
Inca quipu counting device. Artwork of part of an Inca quipu (also spelt khipu). This counting device was used by the Inca people of South America in the 15th and 16th centuries

Columbus monument, Cordoba, Spain. This monument commemorates the May 1486 meeting of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) with Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) and Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516)

15th century herb garden, artwork
15th century herb garden. Historical artwork depicting a herb garden at the end of the 15th Century. People can be seen working and relaxing in the garden

William Tyndale, English theologian
William Tyndale (c. 1492-1536). Statue of the English theologian and bible translator William Tyndale. Tyndales was the first English translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts

15th century chemistry equipment, artwork. At left is a furnace used for distillation and sublimation. It has bellows on each side and contains two vessels

Constellations, 14th century manuscript. This page is from the manuscript Astronomiae liber sive calendarium, dated 1390-1415

Cosimo de Medici, ruler of Florence
Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464), ruler of Florence. Cosimo founded the Medici political dynasty that ruled Florence and wielded great power and influence

Human anatomy, 16th century artwork. This drawing is from the English translation of Trattato dell arte de la pittura, scultura, et architettura (Oxford)

Horse anatomy, 16th century artwork. This drawing is from the English translation of Trattato dell arte de la pittura, scultura, et architettura (Oxford)

Tristao da Cunha, Portuguese explorer
Tristao da Cunha (circa 1460 to circa 1540), Portuguese explorer and admiral, with an elephant in the background. From 1506, his fleet of 15 ships explored the southern Atlantic

Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian philosopher
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), Italian philosopher. Machiavellis career was as a civil servant for the Republic of Florence

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Step back in time to the 1400s, a period filled with intrigue, innovation, and artistic brilliance. Leonardo da Vinci's fascination with anatomy led him to meticulously study the intricacies of the human skull. His detailed drawings continue to captivate us today. Meanwhile, in medieval Spain and Portugal, kingdoms were expanding their territories and shaping history. The map of this era reveals the shifting borders and political landscape that defined these nations. Innovation was on the rise as Johannes Gutenberg introduced his revolutionary printing press in the 1450s. This invention would forever change communication by making books more accessible to a wider audience. The Battle of Agincourt loomed large in 1415 as English and French forces prepared for an epic clash during the Hundred Years War. Longbowmen stood ready, their deadly accuracy poised to make a significant impact on this historic battle. Amidst all this turmoil, life continued its course. Ladies in Florence embraced Renaissance ideals as they sought knowledge and indulged in artistry that marked this vibrant period of cultural rebirth. Across Europe, Angevin kings held vast territories both in France and Britain. Their power stretched across borders as they navigated complex alliances and rivalries that shaped dynastic politics. Within castle walls like those found at the Tower of London during the late Middle Ages, lavish dining rooms hosted feasts fit for royalty. These grand halls witnessed both celebrations and secret conversations that influenced destinies. Yet not all discoveries were made within European realms alone; trephination evidence discovered within an Inca skull highlights ancient medical practices from South America—a testament to humanity's quest for understanding even centuries ago. As we delve into history's tapestry woven with diverse threads such as GEUR2A-00057 or NATL2A-00001—codes representing artifacts from different eras—we are reminded of our shared past while marveling at how far we have come since those fateful 1400s.