Grotesque Heads (recto)

On the recto of this sheet is a group of grotesque figures, including two faun-like creatures, one looking fierce, the other bad-tempered. A third hideous face is sticking out his tongue in a mocking smile, and at the far right stands an elderly man with a hooked nose. In front of this assembly of bizarre creatures are a young man with his eyes pointed upward and a somewhat obese male in profile. The head of a startled figure is attached to him, eyes wide open and sucking on his nipple. These caricatures reveal parallels to the grotesque sculpted masks on the capitals, the surrounding frieze, and the back of Giuliano de' Medici's breastplate in the Medici Chapel. They are not, however, immediate drafts for them.

These studies show the influence of Leonardo's physiognomy studies.

On the verso of the sheet, studies of the head of a woman and a child, an ear, and a leg are visible.