What was the distinctive shape of Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed parachute?

Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed parachute had a pyramidal canopy.

In a manuscript dated approximately 1485, Leonardo described a parachute made from linen held open by a framework of poles. His drawing shows a pyramid-like canopy rather than the rounded domes common in modern parachutes. The design was intended to let a person descend safely from a height.

Leonardo’s notes gave the canopy dimensions as about 12 braccia wide and 12 braccia deep, though the exact modern length of a braccio varied. Because the design was never tested by Leonardo, historians cannot know precisely how stable or safe it would have been.

The pyramidal form is the key identifying feature. Modern experimental recreations have demonstrated that a version of the design can descend, but that does not mean Leonardo built or successfully used one. His parachute is an early documented design concept, not the first operational parachute.