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1 of 253523 objects
Leonardo da Vinci (Vinci 1452-Amboise 1519)
The head of Leda c.1505-8
Black chalk, pen and ink | 17.7 x 14.7 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 912518
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A drawing of the head of a woman turned three quarters to the left, looking down. The hair is fastened in elaborate braids, and arranged in coils over the ears. This is a study for the head of Leda in the lost painting of Leda and the Swan. Melzi's number 12.
In classical mythology, Leda, queen of Sparta, was seduced by Jupiter in the form of a swan and bore two eggs, from each of which hatched twins. Leonardo worked on two versions of a composition of Leda and the swan, one in which Leda kneels, the other in which she stands, eventually executing a painting of the standing version (destroyed around 1700). Here Leonardo expended little effort on her demure downward glance, devoting his attention instead to the most complicated of hairstyles. Parallel plaits run over the top of her head, with a pattern of interlacing at the temples. See also RCIN 912516.
Text adapted from Leonardo da Vinci: A life in drawing, London, 2018Provenance
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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Medium and techniques
Black chalk, pen and ink
Measurements
17.7 x 14.7 cm (sheet of paper)
Markings
watermark: Tulip ("fruit"), close to Briquet 6664
Object type(s)
Featured in
ExhibitionLeonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing: Nationwide
A nationwide exhibition of drawings to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death
