Music to the ears of da Vinci as dream realised

With elegant black and tan keys it looks like a baby grand piano, but when tinkled they release the voluptuous tones of a cello.

Painter of the Mona Lisa, Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci also dreamt up the viola organista in the late 15th century as a marriage of keyboard and string instruments. But he never built it, experts say.

Virtually forgotten, it has now come to life thanks to a Polish concert pianist with a flair for instrument-making.