The artwork “Grotesque Profile” is attributed to the eminent Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, dating back to approximately 1487, during the time da Vinci resided in Milan, Italy. It falls within the Early Renaissance period, a time of burgeoning interest in the human form, perspective, and natural sciences. A sketch and study by nature, this piece exemplifies the artist’s fascination with human features and character expressions, rendered with remarkable detail and observational precision.
The artwork reveals a male profile executed with brown ink, demonstrating Leonardo’s masterful use of line to depict the contours and textures of the face. The figure possesses exaggerated, almost caricature-like features, with prominent nose, chin, and forehead that convey a sense of individuality and possibly reflect the artist’s studies of human physiognomy and emotion. The bold strokes express the contours of the subject’s balding head, deep-set eye, and wrinkled skin, imbuing the portrait with a palpable sense of character. Despite the grotesque nature of the profile, the artwork retains the delicacy and finesse characteristic of Leonardo’s hand, inviting a contemplation of the fine line between beauty and deformity—an exploration that Leonardo da Vinci pursued throughout his life.
