Head studies
by LEONARDO da Vinci, Metalpoint, black and red chalk on paper, 191 x 188 mm
The drawing is a study to the Battle of Anghiari, a huge painting designed for decorating the great hall of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The wall painting was never finished, its full-size cartoon was destroyed in the 17th century.
The two head studies show two different facial expressions of soldiers who are experiencing the same moment of the greatest possible effort: the decisive battle. One of them is screaming because of the effort, the face of the other is distorted. Both studies belong to figures that were used in the final plan for the Battle of Anghiari.