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Extraordinary Leonardo da Vinci Helicopter Model — by Giovanni Sacchi
$4,491.89
£3,358.92
€3,750
CA$6,188.70
A$6,749.65
CHF 3,575.51
MX$80,918.67
NOK 45,536.07
SEK 41,639.35
DKK 28,576.49
About the Item
Extraordinary Leonardo da Vinci Helicopter Model — hand-crafted in 1989 by Italian master model-maker Giovanni Sacchi — presented as a gift to Paolo Viti during the International Design Conference in Aspen.
Why this piece stands apart
This is not a generic repro — it’s a bespoke, museum-quality model executed by Giovanni Sacchi, the preeminent Italian model-maker of the 20th century, renowned for translating iconic designs into physical form.
The provenance is impeccable: the piece was personally gifted to Paolo Viti, then Director of Design (and Corporate Image
Culture) at Olivetti — a man who shaped not just products but the very cultural stature of Italian industrial design in the 1980s.
As such, this object isn’t merely decorative: it is a historic artefact that bridges Renaissance genius, 20th-century design craftsmanship, and corporate cultural patronage.
Object details
presentation
The model is a conceptual realisation of Leonardo’s visionary aerial screw — rendered in wood, paper and rope with Sacchi’s refined craftsmanship. According to standard listing, dimensions are roughly 13 cm in all axes (≈ 5.1″), though your version is accompanied by a green wooden box measuring 18 × 17 × 17 cm (≈ 7.1″ × 6.7″ × 6.7″), bespoke-made by Sacchi himself — making the set a complete historic object with its original protective case.
The condition appears very good, with character consistent with careful handling and display, rather than play or toy-use. The original attribution marks point to its authenticity, and the provenance (gift to Paolo Viti 1989) is well-documented.
Historical
Cultural Significance: The Craftsman — Giovanni Sacchi
Giovanni Sacchi (1913–2005) began his career at age 12 as an apprentice pattern-maker in Milan; by 1948 he had opened his own workshop, and over decades became the backbone of Italian industrial design prototyping.
His atelier in Via Sirtori, Milan — from which virtually all major Italian design icons emerged — produced some 25,000 models spanning typewriters, radios, televisions, coffee pots, calculators, and architectural models.
Among his collaborators: legendary figures and studios such as Marcello Nizzoli, Achille Castiglioni
Piergiacomo Castiglioni, Ettore Sottsass, Marco Zanuso, Aldo Rossi and many others — effectively giving physical form to the masterpieces of the Italian design movement.
More than just a fabricator, Sacchi was often considered an “interpreter” — his ability to grasp designers’ visions went beyond technical skill: he added critical sensitivity that helped shape final production.
In recognition of his foundational contribution, he was awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro for lifetime achievement in 1998.
Historical
Cultural Significance: The Recipient — Paolo Viti
Paolo Viti (1935–2017), born in La Spezia and an economist by training, joined Olivetti in 1956. Over his long career he came to head the company’s Design
Corporate Image and Cultural Affairs departments.
Under his stewardship in the 1980s, Olivetti became not only a leader in elegant office machines and computers, but also a major cultural patron — sponsoring exhibitions, supporting art and restoring historic masterpieces.
Viti was instrumental in bringing globally-significant exhibitions to the public — including major shows on Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo — helping position Italy’s industrial sector not only as a center of production, but of culture and heritage.
The 1989 International Design Conference in Aspen, at which this heli-model was gifted, became symbolic of Italian design’s global cultural influence — making this object not simply a model, but a token of a pivotal moment in design history.
Why this piece belongs in a serious collection
This helicopter model isn’t mere decorative whimsy — it represents a confluence of three major currents: the genius of the Renaissance, the craft mastery of 20th-century Italian industrial design, and the cultural diplomacy of a major Italian corporation. It is rare to find something so small and delicate that carries such weight: historical, artistic, cultural, and provenance. It belongs in the collection of someone who appreciates not just the aesthetic — the whorl of spiral wings, the handcrafted wood and rope — but the story behind it: a story of courage (Sacchi’s post-war rebuild), of creative collaboration, of corporate patronage that elevated design to an art form, and of a moment in 1989 when Italy presented itself to the world on the stage of design history.
The Leonardo da Vinci model will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden case. Cost of transport to the US is Euro 225, wooden case included if we handle the transportation which we highly recommend.
Wear consistent with age and use.
Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.
- Dimensions:Height: 6.7 in (17 cm)Width: 7.09 in (18 cm)Depth: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1989
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Weesp, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1464247743812
About the Seller
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Weesp, Netherlands
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