It is clear from even a brief glance at the illustrations in this volume that Leonardo da Vinci's drawings are characterized by enormous variety in terms of technique, formal vocabulary and subject matter. His work ranges in scope from the mostly early studies executed in metalpoint on prepared paper (Cat. 191) to the impulsive chalk drawings of his mature years (Cat. 399), from the animated figure studies, which he sketched with a pen and a brush (Cat. 117), to his extraordinarily disciplined pen-and-ink studies in the fields of anatomy (Cat. 260) and technology (Cat.536). Leonardo seems to have been the first to make systematic use of red chalk and over the course of his career would develop a distinctive range of graphic techniques, such as hatching, which follows the form, through which he invoked rounded volumes with particular plasticity (Cat. 373).

THE GRAPHIC WORK

 Frank ZiSllner andJohannes Nathan

Perfecting the art of drawing

1 Drawings and sketches for surviving or documented paintings

2 Studies for equestrian monuments and horses

3 Drawings of human figures, animals and monsters

4 Drapery studies

5 Profile studies,character heads and grotesques

6 Proportion drawings

7 Anatomical drawings

8 Allegories, emblems and pictographs

9 Plant studies

10 Studies of landscapes,water and "natural catastrophes"

11 Drawings of maps and plans

12 Architectural studies

13 Engineering and machinery studies

14 Studies for military equipment

15 Studies of flying machines and bird flight

16 Studies on light and shade

APPENDICES

Concordance of drawings

Bibliography

Index