What armored animal automaton did Leonardo da Vinci design for a royal festival?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical lion as an automaton for a royal festival.

The lion is associated with a 1515 performance in Lyon, France, where a mechanical animal reportedly approached King Francis I. When it reached the king, its chest opened and revealed fleurs-de-lis, the emblem of the French monarchy. The story is connected with Leonardo’s final years in France.

The historical evidence about the original mechanism is incomplete, and the surviving record does not provide a full technical plan. Later reconstructions have therefore interpreted the device rather than preserved a verified original machine.

The lion should not be confused with Leonardo’s mechanical knight, an earlier humanoid automaton designed during his Milan period. Both belong to the Renaissance tradition of court machinery, in which hidden gears and linkages created dramatic public spectacles.