Theater of Machines, Part 3

A detailed woodcut illustration of a hand-cranked mechanical mill.

In the upper-left corner of the frame is the label "N. 2".

The central focus is a large wooden and metal machine. Two laborers, dressed in simple tunics and breeches, operate the mill by turning cranks at either end of a long horizontal axle. This axle is equipped with a large vertical gear wheel that meshes with a lantern gear. The lantern gear is fixed to a vertical spindle that rises to a raised wooden platform. At the top of this spindle, a circular millstone is positioned; the side of the millstone is marked with the letter "P".

To the left of the machinery stands a man in aristocratic 16th-century attire, including a ruff collar, doublet, and voluminous padded trunk hose. He stands with one hand on his hip and the other pointing toward the mechanical apparatus. Near his feet on the floor are two large, full sacks, presumably containing grain or flour. The background features a wall made of dressed stone blocks.