Juanelo Turriano
Encyclopedia
Juanelo Turriano was an Italo-Spanish clockmaker
, engineer
and mathematician
. He was born in Cremona
.
Called to Spain in 1529 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
, he was appointed Court Clock Master and built the Cristalino, an astronomical clock that made him famous in his time. Philip II of Spain
named him Matemático Mayor. He worked and lived in Toledo, where he built the Artificio de Juanelo
, an engine that, driven by the river itself, lifted water from the Tagus
to a height of almost 100 meters, to supply the city and its castle (Alcázar
).
Turriano is attributed as the creator of an automaton manufactured in the 1560s based on a commission from Philip II of Spain
.
He died at Toledo in 1585.
Clockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches...
, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
. He was born in Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
.
Called to Spain in 1529 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, he was appointed Court Clock Master and built the Cristalino, an astronomical clock that made him famous in his time. Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
named him Matemático Mayor. He worked and lived in Toledo, where he built the Artificio de Juanelo
Artificio de Juanelo
The Artificio de Juanelo was the name of two devices built in Toledo in the 16th century by Juanelo Turriano. They were designed to supply the city with a source of readily available water by lifting it from the Tagus river to the Alcázar...
, an engine that, driven by the river itself, lifted water from the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
to a height of almost 100 meters, to supply the city and its castle (Alcázar
Alcázar of Toledo
The Alcázar of Toledo is a stone fortification located in the highest part of Toledo, Spain. Once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century, it was restored under Charles I and Philip II of Spain in the 1540's...
).
Turriano is attributed as the creator of an automaton manufactured in the 1560s based on a commission from Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
.
He died at Toledo in 1585.
External links
- El artificio de Juanelo The water fetching automatonAutomatonAn automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
. - Juanelo Turriano Foundation
- Reconstrucción del artificio de Juanelo (PDF format)
- The new model of the hydraulic machine known as El Artificio de Juanelo in three-dimensional computer simulation