Leonardo da Vinci exhibition opens in Beijing

A new exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci opened today, featuring about 190 exhibits, at the Natural History Museum of China in Beijing.

Titled "Harmony through Time and Space: How Leonardo da Vinci Created Concord between his Artistic and Scientific World and the Natural World," the show includes authentic works, unfinished paintings, digital reproductions of his masterpieces and reconstructed artifacts based on his manuscripts.

The exhibition uses digital reconstruction and restoration techniques to recreate da Vinci's unfinished painting, "The Adoration of the Magi," giving visitors a glimpse into his early artistic process.

Digital reproductions of iconic works such as the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" are also on display, with detailed attention to features like eyelashes and skin tones to ensure accuracy based on historical records.

The exhibition also features reconstructed mechanical inventions based on da Vinci's manuscripts, including the aerial screw, an early hot air balloon, a cubic device seen as a precursor to modern 3D printers, and Leonardo's robot.

The museum has also selected about 70 specimens from its collections — including animals, plants, fossils and minerals — each with a connection to da Vinci's work and interests. The exhibition runs through Oct. 19.