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1 of 253523 objects
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Recto: Studies of men in action. Verso: Studies of men in action c.1508
Recto: Black chalk, pen and ink. Verso: Black chalk | 20.1 x 13.0 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 912644
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This is one of a sequence of sheets containing about a hundred thumbnail sketches, attempting to capture every action of the human body. Elsewhere Leonardo listed ‘the 18 actions of man: repose, movement, running, standing, supported, sitting, leaning, kneeling, lying down, suspended, carrying, being carried, thrusting, pulling, striking, being struck, pressing down and lifting up.’
From the 1480s onwards Leonardo planned to write a treatise on painting, covering all the knowledge that a painter should possess to represent the world accurately.
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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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Recto: Black chalk, pen and ink. Verso: Black chalk
Measurements
20.1 x 13.0 cm (sheet of paper)
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
RL 12644Alternative title(s)
Recto: Studies of figures in action. Verso: Studies of figures in action
