A drawing of a woman, seen half length, in profile to the right. She wears a tight-fitting bodice, and has an elaborate pseudo-classical hairstyle. Melzi's number 39.

This figure has a high-waisted dress and pronounced bust, and must be female. The hairstyle appears to be the same as in RCIN 912576, wound around the head and knotted, with a tail emerging from the knot, and groomed at the front into a shell-like crest – the convergence of male and female to a single ideal type, with smooth, fleshy features, is a marked aspect of Leonardo’s late work. The red chalk is indistinct but coincides too closely with the forms of the figure to be accidental offsetting, and must have been lightly rubbed on by Leonardo to give colouristic effect unusual in his late drawings.

This is one of a series of designs for costumes for the many entertainments staged for the French king, Francis I. Leonardo was aiming at a great richness and layering of textiles, with ribbons, plumes, fringes, spotted furs, and quilted sleeves and breeches. See also RCIN 912573-912577.

Text adapted from Leonardo da Vinci: A life in drawing, London, 2018