Leonardo da Vinci proposed covering his pyramidal parachute with linen cloth.
His drawing shows a large cloth canopy stretched over a pyramid-like supporting structure. The fabric was intended to form an enclosed air-catching surface, while ropes would connect the apparatus to the person descending beneath it.
Linen was a familiar Renaissance textile made from flax fibres. It was widely used for clothing, sails, canvas, and other durable fabrics, so it was a practical material for Leonardo to specify. The design’s large scale would nevertheless have made construction and handling difficult.
This invention is often confused with a complete, tested parachute. Leonardo left a design rather than evidence of a successful launch, and the apparatus differs substantially from a modern soft, vented canopy. A replica built and tested centuries later demonstrated that the basic concept could work, although modern safety equipment was used for the test.