LEONARDO da Vinci
(b. 1452, Vinci, d. 1519, Cloux, near Amboise)

Five caricature heads

after 1490
Pen and ink on paper, 18 x 12 cm
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

Several such drawings still exist in which Leonardo either portrays or invents pronounced facial features, exaggerating them like a caricature. The five caricature heads are thought to be a copy made by an artist who had access to Leonardo's drawings. The strokes lack the vividness that characterized Leonardo's drawings.