Perspective study of a mazzocchio ring
A faceted torus drawn in perspective within a diagonaled square, with a later note on its construction
The sheet is dominated by a large ring-shaped mazzocchio drawn in perspective as a faceted torus, set inside a square frame whose diagonals cross at the centre. The lattice of foreshortened facets shows the head-ring built up band by band, a classic Renaissance perspective exercise. A note in two lines at the foot, described in the bundle as not in Leonardo's hand, explains how the form is raised degree by degree using the points a, b, c and d.
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The mazzocchio raised in perspective by degrees
The added note treats the ring as a body to be constructed in stages: one first places a b at the site c, then raises c to the first degree, then a b to the second degree, and finally lifts b d as the third and last degree, repeating at each step. Each 'degree' corresponds to another foreshortened band of the faceted torus.
Square, diagonals and inscribed circular figure
The ring is generated within a square frame crossed by two diagonals that meet at its centre, defining eight radial sectors. Concentric arcs and radial rulings divide the circular band into small quadrilateral facets, giving the geometric scaffold on which the perspective is built.