Which Leonardo da Vinci design is widely described as an early ancestor of the modern parachute?

Leonardo da Vinci’s early parachute design is known as the pyramidal parachute.

Leonardo drew the design in the Codex Atlanticus, describing a cloth-covered pyramidal structure supported by a wooden frame. His notes suggested that a person could descend safely from a great height with such a device. The design is commonly dated to the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century.

The pyramidal parachute was not tested during Leonardo’s lifetime. Its shape differs from the round canopies familiar today, but the central principle is the same: increased air resistance slows a falling person. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nichols built and tested a full-scale version, then used a modern parachute for safety during the descent.

The design should not be confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which attempted powered or mechanically assisted flight. The parachute was intended for controlled descent, not ascent. Leonardo’s work was an important early study of aerodynamic drag, even though practical parachuting developed much later.