Profile Head of an Aged Man
Bust-length study of an old man in sharp right profile
A single bust-length head, drawn in dark chalk, dominates the upper half of the sheet, turned in strict profile to the right. The face is that of an old man, with a heavy overhanging brow, a long hooked nose, a sunken toothless mouth and a jutting chin, the loose flesh softly modelled with fine hatching. The lower portion of the leaf is left blank apart from scattered reddish staining and faint offset marks; no text accompanies the drawing.
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Head of an old man in profile
The study concentrates on the characterful head of an aged man seen from his left, facing right. Deep creases run from the nostril to the corner of the mouth, and the sharp nose set against the projecting chin gives the profile the pinched, nutcracker-like quality Leonardo favoured in his studies of old age.