![American Collections — 0055 r [II. 17-20]](https://codex.venivididavinci.com/codices/usa-collection-drawings/highres/122_0055-r-II.-17-20.jpg)
Grotesque Heads: Four Caricatured Busts (nos. 17-20)
Four more aged, exaggerated profile heads mounted in a grid
Four independent head studies are arranged in a two-by-two grid, each numbered in ink in its upper corner (17, 18, 19, 20). All are grotesque caricatures of old faces rendered as profile or three-quarter busts, with sagging flesh, sunken mouths, and pronounced jaws. No accompanying text is present apart from the plate numerals.
On this page
Bald old man with bare shoulder (no. 17)
The upper-left panel shows a three-quarter bust of a bald, toothless old man turned toward the right, one bony shoulder left bare. The sunken mouth and hollow cheek are softly shaded in a lighter, more tonal manner than the neighboring heads.
Profile with pendulous lower lip (no. 18)
The upper-right panel is a profile bust facing right of an aged figure with a curly forelock. The lower lip and jowl swell into an enormous drooping mass, one of the most exaggerated features on the sheet.
Wild-haired snarling head (no. 19)
The lower-left panel shows a profile bust facing right of a man with unkempt, spiky hair. His apish, protruding jaw and lips give the face a snarling, animal-like character.
Old woman with coiled hair (no. 20)
The lower-right panel is a profile bust facing right of an aged woman with elaborately coiled and knotted hair. The sagging neck and bare shoulder emphasize her advanced age.