LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Grotesque Head Black chalk or charcoal, pricked outlines About 1500–1506 Leonardo drew a large number of caricatured heads that reflect his study of human physiognomy and facial expressions.This large sheet, pricked for transfer, was used as a cartoon (full-scale preliminary sketch). The dynamic figure – face in profile, bust in three-quarter view and upward-looking gaze – suggests a preparato- ry study for a narrative painting, perhaps a large-scale composition such as Christ among the Doctors or Christ Carrying His Cross. Christ Church, Oxford, inv. 0033 Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Study for the Virgin of the Yarnwinder Metalpoint reworked with red chalk on red prepared paper About 1500 This is a study for the bust of the Virgin in the painting known as the Virgin of theYarnwinder. Leonardo aims to show the mother’s instinctive reaction as she turns to remove the dangerous object from her son’s hands, but he also conveys the impression that she has just interrupted her movement, having realised the meaning of Jesus’s thoughtful observation of the cross-shaped object. The Royal Collection, Windsor, RL 12514, loaned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 133 134