Chapter 3 | WORKS OF ART

Finally, two masterpieces:

The first work of art is a small drawing (16 x 18 centimeters) of a young woman by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). You can clearly see how narrow the right half of her face becomes in a three-quarter view. Leonardo drew her in such a way that she is looking back at something or someone right behind us. She smiles a little so maybe someone just said something. In this brilliant drawing you can also beautifully see the 3D construction of the nose, the eyes (a sphere in the eye socket) and the mouth with the shadow under the lower lip. The hatching goes from top left to bottom right; by this you can tell that Da Vinci was left-handed.

The second work of art is an almost life-size sculpture dating from the same time as Da Vinci’s drawing. It was created by the sculptor Giovanni Romano (1465-1512) and is probably a portrait of Isabella d’Este, a powerful woman who lived in a large palace in Mantua, Italy. Isabella was one of the first art collectors and also a very good musician. Very different from the girl in the drawing, this woman looks rather proud or strict. Because we do not see irises and pupils, it seems as if she is looking far ahead and certainly not at someone who happens to pass by. In this portrait you can see crystal clear the construction of the nose, the eyes, the mouth and the neck with the shoulders. What’s special about a sculpture is that you can walk around it, for example in a museum. Therefore here I can also show you images of the profile and the back with the tail.

Portrait bust Isabella d’Este, Giovanni Cristoforo Romano, 54.3 x 54.6 cm., terracotta (baked clay),
The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas