User:Henry Savory/be bold

Juanelo Turriano was a Spanish mathematician, engineer and clockmaker born c. 1500 in Cremona, northern Italy. He worked at the Cathedral of Cremona, in the construction of clocks for the bell tower. Around 1530 he was appointed as Court Clock Master in Spain at the call of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The Emperor had commissioned from him an astronomical clock called the Crystalino, for which he became quite famous at the time.

Charles the Bold

Around 1550 Phillip II of Spain appointed Turriano Matemático Mayor, when he was at the time living in Toledo. It was here that he created the Artificio de Juanelo, a massive engine which moved water from the river Tagus to the highest point in Toledo – the Alcázar. This hydraulic machine used the energy of the flowing river itself to lift the water between a series of chambers, raising the water to a height of almost 300 feet. The artifice was built around 1565, and was functional for almost 50 years until it stopped functioning due to lack of maintenance in 1617. Turranio had already died in Toledo in 1585, and with him died most of the knowledge as to the machine’s operation.

Juanelo Turriano also built clockwork humanlike robots including the “Lady of Vienna” and the “Clockwork Prayer”, the latter of which is still in working condition and can be seen in the Smithsonian.

Link to flash animation of 3D model of machine: (it’s in Spanish but still easy to work out)

http://www.artificiodejuanelo.org/