Recto: a drawing of a nude figure of a man, standing facing the spectator, with his head turned in profile to the right; at his feet are sea-horses. Below is a faint sketch of the same figure. On the left is a fortified building, with a plan of the same above it. There are notes above and below the drawings. Verso: a note decribing the pleasures of Cyprus.

In January 1504, Leonardo was a member of the committee that met in Florence to decide where to site Michelangelo’s newly-completed David. That colossal sculpture clearly impressed Leonardo, for the pose of the Neptune drawn here, with sea-horses gathered around his feet, is closely based on Michelangelo’s work. The architectural studies appear to be a projected villa for the governor of Milan, Charles d’Amboise. The notes describe a pleasure garden, inspired by the mythical gardens of Venus on Cyprus, and it is likely that the Neptune was intended for a sculptural fountain in the gardens.

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