Self-portrait (Leonardo da Vinci)
Encyclopedia
The portrait of a man in red chalk (circa 1510) in the Biblioteca Reale, Turin
is widely accepted as a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. It is thought that Leonardo da Vinci
drew this self-portrait
at about the age of 60. The portrait has been extensively reproduced and has become an iconic representation of Leonardo as polymath
or "Renaissance Man".
The drawing has been drawn in fine lines, shadowed by hatching and executed with the left hand, as was Leonardo's habit. The paper has brownish "fox marks" caused by the accumulation of iron salts due to moisture. It is housed at the Royal Library
(Biblioteca Reale) in Turin, Italy, and is not generally viewable by the public due to its fragility and poor condition.
's The School of Athens
and on the high quality of the drawing, consistent with others by Leonardo. On the other hand, Frank Zöllner states: "This red chalk drawing has largely determined our idea of Leonardo's appearance for it was long taken to be his only authentic self-portrait. Nowadays it is thought to be a fake, or at best a copy." A frequent criticism made in the late 20th century is that the drawing depicts a man of a greater age than Leonardo himself achieved, as he died at the age of 67. It has been suggested that the sitter represents Leonardo's father.
It is generally thought that if the drawing is authentic, then this is the only formal self-portrait executed by Leonardo. Other portraits of Leonardo by other hands exist, apparently dating from the early 16th century. A red chalk profile portrait at Windsor may be by his pupil Melzi. Other portraits are known to have been made after his death.
Several portraits are thought to exist of Leonardo as a youth or a young man. These include Verrocchio's statue of David
and a possible self-portrait in the Adoration of the Magi
; critics suspect that the lower right attendant in this painting represents Leonardo. In De divina proportione by the mathematician Luca Pacioli
, which Leonardo illustrated, the artist may also have included a self-portrait.
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
is widely accepted as a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. It is thought that Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
drew this self-portrait
Self-portrait
A self-portrait is a representation of an artist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting...
at about the age of 60. The portrait has been extensively reproduced and has become an iconic representation of Leonardo as polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
or "Renaissance Man".
Description and provenance
The portrait is drawn in red chalk on paper. It depicts the head of an elderly man in three-quarter view, turned towards the viewer's right. The subject is distinguished by his long hair and long waving beard which flow over the shoulders and breast. The length of the hair and beard is uncommon in Renaissance portraits and suggests, as now, a person of sagacity. The face has a somewhat aquiline nose and is marked by deep lines on the brow and pouches below the eyes. It appears as if the man has lost his upper front teeth, causing deepening of the grooves from the nostrils. The eyes of the figure do not engage the viewer but gaze ahead, veiled by the long eyebrows, with a sense of solemnity or disillusionment. If this is indeed a self-portrait of Leonardo, his attitude may reflect the fact that by this time his career was largely behind him, and artistic fashion was beginning to leave him behind.The drawing has been drawn in fine lines, shadowed by hatching and executed with the left hand, as was Leonardo's habit. The paper has brownish "fox marks" caused by the accumulation of iron salts due to moisture. It is housed at the Royal Library
Royal Library of Turin
The Royal Library of Turin is located under the porticoes on the ground floor of the Royal Palace in the north-west Italian city of Turin...
(Biblioteca Reale) in Turin, Italy, and is not generally viewable by the public due to its fragility and poor condition.
Controversy
The work is far from universally accepted as a self-portrait. The identification of the drawing as a self-portrait was made in the 19th century, based on the similarity of the sitter to the portrait of Leonardo in RaphaelRaphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
's The School of Athens
The School of Athens
The School of Athens, or in Italian, is one of the most famous paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1510 and 1511 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms now known as the , in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican...
and on the high quality of the drawing, consistent with others by Leonardo. On the other hand, Frank Zöllner states: "This red chalk drawing has largely determined our idea of Leonardo's appearance for it was long taken to be his only authentic self-portrait. Nowadays it is thought to be a fake, or at best a copy." A frequent criticism made in the late 20th century is that the drawing depicts a man of a greater age than Leonardo himself achieved, as he died at the age of 67. It has been suggested that the sitter represents Leonardo's father.
It is generally thought that if the drawing is authentic, then this is the only formal self-portrait executed by Leonardo. Other portraits of Leonardo by other hands exist, apparently dating from the early 16th century. A red chalk profile portrait at Windsor may be by his pupil Melzi. Other portraits are known to have been made after his death.
Several portraits are thought to exist of Leonardo as a youth or a young man. These include Verrocchio's statue of David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
and a possible self-portrait in the Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi (Leonardo)
-Bibliography:-External links:******...
; critics suspect that the lower right attendant in this painting represents Leonardo. In De divina proportione by the mathematician Luca Pacioli
Luca Pacioli
Fra Luca Bartolomeo de Pacioli was an Italian mathematician, Franciscan friar, collaborator with Leonardo da Vinci, and seminal contributor to the field now known as accounting...
, which Leonardo illustrated, the artist may also have included a self-portrait.