“LEONARDO E IL BATTILORO” – this year’s MOSTRA PRINCIPE of ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO (May 16/19, Corsini Gardesn, Florence), dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and gold leaf production, set up in the Limonaia Piccola, the small orangery, of the Corsini Gardens – will tell the story of the company Giusto Manetti Battiloro, which has been producing authentic gold and silver leaf for over 15 generations, using a production process that efficiently combines state-of-the-art technology with traditional craftsmanship.
Visitors can find out about the antique technique of gold leaf production, which is still in vogue today, by retracing the various steps required to obtain a thin sheet of gold, just a few microns thick, from a gold ingot.
But as part of the Exhibition, for the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, for the very first time it will be possible to see in operation the antique Maglio per Battiloro (goldbeating mallet machine) which the company Giusto Manetti Battiloro has constructed especially for the occasion using a manual work process and original materials, according to the original design that appears in Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus. A masterpiece of mechanical engineering for the production of embossed laminae, used for gold leaf, but also for medals, coins and studs.