Proportion studies of the horse's head and human face
Two horse heads set in measured rectangles, a rule for the face, and red-chalk pulleys balancing weights.
Leonardo measures the human face, noting that the span from the attachment of one ear to the other equals the distance from the eyebrows to the chin, and that the mouth is as wide as the gap from the parting of the lips to the base of the chin. Two studies of a horse's head, one in profile and one seen head-on with the mane bound between erect ears, are framed in ruled rectangles subdivided to fix the proportions of the ears and features. In red chalk below, two compound pulley systems show large weights held in balance by smaller counterweights, the drawing partly smudged by a fingerprint.
On this page
A rule for the proportions of the face
The distance from the attachment of one ear to the other equals the distance from the eyebrows to the chin. On a beautiful face the mouth is as wide as the space from the parting of the lips to the bottom of the chin.
Horse's head in profile within a ruled rectangle (a b c d e)
A horse's head in profile is enclosed in an analytical rectangle divided widthwise into four major and eight minor sub-rectangles. The divisions along the upper edge are labelled a b c d e.
Horse's head seen head-on; the ears
A horse's head viewed directly, ears erect and the mane bound with a tie, is framed in a rectangle. The distance from one ear to the other equals the length of one ear, and each ear should be a quarter of the length of the face.
Compound pulleys balancing weights (1, 2, 1, 5)
In red chalk, a quadruple pulley system carries a large weight labelled 5 opposed by a smaller weight labelled 1; a double pulley system holds a partitioned weight labelled 2 held in balance by a smaller weight labelled 1.