LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Figure Studies for the Adoration of the Magi Leadpoint reworked with pen and brown ink About 1480–1481 The figure of the young man in the top left, pointing out the scene to the viewer, was made in preparation for the figure on the far right of the painting, and is believed by some art historians to be a self-portrait of Leonardo. Department of Prints and Drawings, Musée du Louvre, Paris, Inv. 2258 Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Figure Studies and Decorative Elements Leadpoint reworked with pen and brown ink About 1480–1481 The figures in conversation and the man hammering a nail have been linked to some of the figures in the Adoration of the Magi. The purpose of the other studies is unknown. Musée Bonnat-Helleu, Bayonne, inv. 660 0 49 0 50 Leonardo probably began to compose his painting for the high altar in San Donato in Scopeto in March 1480, but he left Florence for Milan in about 1482 and never completed the work. Several studies show the different variations he contemplated.