The artwork “Head of a Young Woman with Tousled Hair (Leda)” is a distinguished piece by Leonardo da Vinci, created circa 1508 during his time in Milan, Italy. This portrait is a testament to da Vinci’s mastery of the High Renaissance style and exemplifies his exceptional skill in rendering human expressions. The artwork was crafted using a combination of gouache, oil, and presumably applied to a wood panel, with dimensions measuring 36.2 by 24.7 centimeters. Presently, the artwork is housed at the Parma National Gallery in Parma, Italy.
This artwork features the head of a young woman, elegantly captured in profile. The woman’s visage is rendered with soft, almost ethereal, delicate strokes that accentuate the youthful tenderness of her features. Leonardo’s famed sfumato technique can be seen here in the nuanced transitions between light and shadow, imbuing the subject with a lifelike presence. Her hair appears disheveled, contributing to the sense of a fleeting, intimate moment that the artist has managed to seize. The artwork’s subject is Leda, a figure from Greek mythology, yet Leonardo chooses to focus intently on the expressive quality of her face rather than contextual narrative elements, thus elevating the portrait to a universal study of beauty and emotion.
