LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Study for the Head of a Soldier in the Battle of the Standard Red chalk on pale pink prepared paper About 1504 While Michelangelo’s Battle of Cascina glorified the soldiers’ heroic nudity, Leonardo’s battle painting conveyed its frenzy and confusion.Two superb preparato- ry drawings of the screaming protagonists in the Battle of the Standard have survived. In these works, the ‘science of painting’ proves its ability to depict bodily movements and their relationship with emotions – the movements of the soul. Szépm ű vészeti Múzeum, Budapest, inv. 1774 Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 150 Study for the Head of a Soldier in the Battle of the Standard Black chalk and traces of red chalk About 1504 After the Battle of Anghiari, the red banner of the Visconti with its radiating sun and the leopard banner of Milanese captain Niccolò Piccinino were publicly displayed in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, before being held in the Palazzo della Signoria.The warrior sketched in black chalk has been identified by some art historians as Piccinino, the defender of the standard, but there is no consensus on this. Leonardo showed a preference for black and red chalk in his later career. Szépm ű vészeti Múzeum, Budapest, inv. 1775 149 150