Hercules with the Nemean Lion
Black-chalk study of a nude male hero seen from behind, a lion crouched at his feet
A black-chalk study catalogued by the Biblioteca Reale as "Ercole con il leone nemeo" (Hercules with the Nemean lion) shows a powerful nude male figure standing and seen from behind, his weight settled and his musculature broadly modelled. At the lower left a maned lion crouches against his legs, identifying the hero as Hercules with the beast of his first labour; a pentimento of an alternate arm position is visible at the left. A few lines of mirror-script and numerals appear at the upper right of the sheet; this further inscription is present but is not transcribed here.
On this page
Nude male hero seen from behind
The standing figure fills the sheet, drawn from the back with the broad planes of the shoulders, spine, buttocks and legs modelled in soft black chalk. A second, fainter position of the left arm is sketched alongside as Leonardo tries the pose.
The Nemean lion at the hero's feet
At the lower left a maned lion crouches close against the figure's legs, its head lowered. The animal marks the subject as Hercules and the lion of Nemea.