Head of a Man in Profile Facing to the Left
Original title: Head of a Man in Profile Facing to the Left
kurzbeschreibung
This head study by Leonardo da Vinci dates from 1490 to 1494 and fixes a man's profile facing left. The sheet was executed in pen and brown ink over soft black chalk. The subject is a male profile with wavy hair and only suggested drapery, recorded in many individual details.
Description
A man's head turns to the left, its wavy, curling hair built up from fine strokes. Distinctive features shape the view, among them a nose tapering to a point and a slightly parted lip. At shoulder level a spare line suggests clothing, and toward the lower edge of the sheet sits a short text or monogram. Brown tones dominate the page, which rests on a ground of soft black chalk; line weight shifts between delicate, precise passages and broader, freer strokes.
Context
Between 1490 and 1494 Leonardo was working at the Milanese court of Ludovico Sforza, where he gave close attention to human physiognomy and movement. The study can be read either as preparatory work for a larger painting or as a head study in its own right; Leonardo used such sheets to examine expression and anatomical subtleties.
Impact
The sheet lives from the precise grasp of the profile and the lively rendering of the hair. Out of the interplay of delicate lines and soft shading grows a quiet, collected presence. The viewer's gaze settles on the pronounced features and the restrained handling of light.
Technique
Leonardo laid pen and brown ink over a preliminary drawing in soft black chalk. The nib traced the contours and details of the face, while the chalk supplied soft tonal values and transitions. Lines and shadows could thus be graded finely, as was characteristic of Leonardo's drawing practice.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)