-
1 of 253523 objects
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
A caricature of a bald fat man c.1485-90
Pen and ink | 16.0 x 13.5 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 912489
-
Recto: a drawing of the head and shoulders of a stout bald man, facing right. Verso: some infantile scribbles, perhaps representing legs. Melzi's number 24.
The roughness and vigour with which the pen is handled dates the drawing to the late 1480s. The corpulent figure is not one of Leonardo's usual types, and the obvious speed with which it was drawn suggests that this may be a sketch of a specific individual with the nose and lower lip exaggerated for comic effect, and thus one of Leonardo's very few true caricatures.
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
-
Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
-
Medium and techniques
Pen and ink
Measurements
16.0 x 13.5 cm (sheet of paper)
Object type(s)
