Proportions of the Face and Eye, with Notes
Pen studies of a head divided by measuring lines, with eye studies and calculations
Two adjoining pen-and-ink sheets devoted to the proportions of the human head and eye. The larger sheet at the right shows a shaven male head seen frontally, overlaid with a grid of straight measuring lines that divide the face into proportional intervals, with figures and fractions noted at the side. The smaller sheet and lower area carry closely observed studies of the eye, both a naturalistic rendering and a small schematic diagram, alongside numerical ratios. The institution's catalogue records the sheet as studies of the proportions of the face and eye, with notes, dated about 1489-1490; the sheet also bears extensive mirror-writing that is not transcribed here.
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Frontal head divided by proportional measuring lines
A bald male head is drawn frontally and crossed by ruled lines that mark off the height of the brow, nose, mouth and chin in fixed proportional intervals. Short strokes and ticks along the profile and the vertical axis register the units of measurement. The study treats the face as a system of measurable ratios rather than an individual likeness.
Studies of the eye, naturalistic and schematic
One study renders a single eye in fine detail, with lids, lashes and the shadowed socket carefully modelled. Nearby a smaller schematic diagram reduces the eye to a circle with radiating lines, examining its structure and the geometry of sight. Numerical notes and fractions accompany the drawings.