Grotesque Head of an Old Woman

The influential drawing Grotesque Head of an Old Woman by Leonardo da Vinci, created circa 1489-1490, exemplifies the early High Renaissance focus on empirical observation and physiognomic study. This small, yet powerful, study was executed using pen and brown ink on laid paper, which has subsequently been laid down for preservation. As a key work of the Italian Quattrocento, dating squarely within the period 1401 to 1500, this drawing reflects Vinci’s profound interest in the exaggerated extremes of human appearance.

The subject matter belongs to a distinct series of caricature studies produced by Vinci during his time in Milan. The artist uses strong, decisive ink lines to render a highly exaggerated profile, emphasizing a beak-like nose, a sharp chin, and tightly pursed lips framed by an elaborate, yet disheveled, headdress. The intense scrutiny given to the aged skin and musculature suggests an intellectual exercise in understanding distortion and the effects of time on the human form. Unlike his meticulous anatomical studies, this work prioritizes psychological depth and comical distortion, placing it firmly within his genre of teste di carattere (character heads).

This piece serves as a remarkable example of Vinci’s technical proficiency as a draftsman. Such studies were often used by the artist as source material or memory aids for future figures in narrative paintings, although the primary function of the work appears to be theoretical or observational. Formerly part of the famed Liechtenstein Collection, this significant drawing is now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., where it remains a crucial example of Renaissance draftsmanship. Due to its historical importance, high-resolution images and prints of this masterwork are widely distributed, making it accessible as part of the public domain’s digitized art collections.