The head of Leda c.1505-6
Pen and ink | 9.2 x 11.2 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 912515
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A drawing of the head of a woman, turned to left, looking down, and turned three quarters to left. Her hair is in loose ringlets about her face, and braided in elaborate coils over the ears. On the left there is a note. This is a study for the head of Leda in the lost painting of Leda and the Swan. The mythical Leda was seduced by Jupiter in the form of a swan. Leonardo worked on two compositions of the subject, finally executing a painting that was destroyed in the eighteenth century. In the four surviving studies of Leda's head, Leonardo expended little effort on her expression, simply adopting the usual downward glance; in the central two drawings he may even have left the face blank, for the faces there are of poor quality and may have been 'filled in' by a pupil. Instead Leonardo devoted all his attention to the most complicated of hairstyles, with dense whorls and woven plaits, even studying the head from the back - quite unnecessarily for a painted image.
Provenance
Bequeathed to Francesco Melzi; from whose heirs purchased by Pompeo Leoni, c.1582-90; Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel, by 1630; Probably acquired by Charles II; Royal Collection by 1690
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Pen and ink
Measurements
9.2 x 11.2 cm (sheet of paper)
Object type(s)