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Portrait of an elderly man
Biblioteca Reale, Turin

The portrait of a man in red chalk (circa 1510) in the

Biblioteca Reale, Turin is widely, though not universally, accepted as a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. It is thought that Leonardo da Vinci drew this self-portrait at about the age of 60. The portrait has been extensively reproduced and has become an iconic representation of Leonardo as a polymath
or "Renaissance Man". Despite this, some historians and scholars disagree as to the true identity of the sitter.

Description and provenance

The portrait is drawn in red chalk on paper. It depicts the head of an elderly man in three-quarter view, turned towards the viewer's right. The subject is distinguished by his long hair and long waving beard which flow over the shoulders and breast. The length of the hair and beard is uncommon in Renaissance portraits and suggests, as now, a person of sagacity. The face has a somewhat aquiline nose and is marked by deep lines on the brow and pouches below the eyes. It appears as if the man has lost his upper front teeth, causing deepening of the grooves from the nostrils. The eyes of the figure do not engage the viewer but gaze ahead, veiled by the long eyebrows, with a sense of solemnity.

The drawing has been drawn in fine lines, shadowed by hatching and executed with the left hand, as was Leonardo's habit. The paper has brownish "fox marks" caused by the accumulation of iron salts due to moisture. It is housed at the

Turin, Italy
, and is not generally viewable by the public due to its fragility and poor condition. “Researchers have developed a nondestructive way to gauge the condition of the drawing by quantifying the chromophores in the paper, the culprit behind its yellowing. Their technique, described in Applied Physics Letters (2014), will be used to assess the rate at which the image is degrading and to estimate its life expectancy.” [1]

Controversy

The identification of the drawing as a self-portrait is not universally accepted. The identification was made in the 19th century, based on the similarity of the sitter to the portrait of Leonardo in Raphael's The School of Athens and on the high quality of the drawing, consistent with others by Leonardo. On the other hand, Frank Zöllner states: "This red chalk drawing has largely determined our idea of Leonardo's appearance for it was long taken to be his only authentic self-portrait."[2] A frequent criticism made in the late 20th century is that the drawing depicts a man of a greater age than Leonardo himself achieved, as he died at the age of 67. Additionally, some have criticized the circular nature in which it is considered a drawing by Leonardo; it corroborates The School of Athens, which in turns corroborates the self portrait.[3] It has been suggested that the sitter represents Leonardo's father.

It is generally thought that if the drawing represents Leonardo, then this is the only formal self-portrait executed by him.[4] Other portraits of Leonardo by other hands exist, apparently dating from the early 16th century. A red chalk profile portrait at Windsor may be by his pupil Melzi. Other portraits are known to have been made after his death.[citation needed]

Several portraits are thought to exist of Leonardo as a youth or a young man. These include

Verrocchio's statue of David and a possible self-portrait in the Adoration of the Magi; critics suspect that the lower right attendant in this painting represents Leonardo. In De divina proportione by the mathematician Luca Pacioli, which Leonardo illustrated, the artist may also have included a self-portrait.[5]

Leonardo da Vinci

Anatomical study of the arm, by Leonardo da Vinci, (about 1510)
Andreas Vesalius
, 1543

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was trained in anatomy by Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1489 Leonardo began a series of anatomical drawings depicting the ideal human form. This work was carried out intermittently for over 2 decades. During this time he made use of his anatomical knowledge in his artwork, making many sketches of skeletal structures, muscles and organs of humans and other vertebrates that he dissected.[6][7] Initially adopting an Aristotlean understanding of anatomy, he later studied Galen and adopted a more empirical approach, eventually abandoning Galen altogether and relying entirely on his own direct observation.[8] His surviving 750 drawings represent groundbreaking studies in anatomy. Leonardo dissected around thirty human specimens until he was forced to stop under order of Pope Leo X. [9]

As an artist-anatomist, Leonardo made many important discoveries, and had intended to publish a comprehensive treatise on human anatomy.

cirrhosis of the liver and arteriosclerosis.[8][10] He was the first to develop drawing techniques in anatomy to convey information using cross-sections and multiple angles, although centuries would pass before anatomical drawings became accepted as crucial for learning anatomy.[11] None of Leonardo's Notebooks were published during his lifetime, many being lost after his death, with the result that his anatomical discoveries remained unknown until they were later found and published centuries after his death.[12]

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Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to So-called self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci in the Biblioteca Reale in Turin.
  1. ^ "Visual degradation in Leonardo da Vinci's iconic self-portrait: A nanoscale study".
  2. ^ Frank Zöllner, Leonardo da Vinci, Taschen (2000)
  3. ^ "Leonardo as Plato".
  4. ISBN 0-385-51390-9
    .
  5. ISBN 1-59337-346-5
  6. ^ Boas, Marie (1970 (First published by Collins, 1962)). The Scientific Renaissance 1450–1630. Fontana. pp. 120–143. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  7. ^ Mason, Stephen F. (1962). A History of the Sciences. New York: Collier. p. 550.
  8. ^ a b c O'Malley, Charles D. (1983). Leonardo on the Human Body. New York: Dover.
  9. ^ Gasciogne, Bamber. "History of Anatomy". History World. Retrieved 30 Oct 2013.
  10. ^ "Leonardo the Man , His machines". Lairweb. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Leonardo Da Vinci first Anatomist". Life in The Fast Lane. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Leonardo Da Vinci's Notebook Project". Irvine Valley College. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  13. ISBN 9780740746963
    .

External links

Category:Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci Category:1510s drawings Category:16th-century portraits Leonardo da Vinci

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