The Da Vinci Drawings.
Leonardo's amazing sketches. 

The Leonardo Da Vinci Drawings give us a valuable insight into the depth of knowledge experienced by the talented artist. We are fortunate that a vast body of Leonardo’s drawings have survived these are scattered in various collections across the world. Leonardo dictated his last will and testament on his deathbed on 23 April 1519, he bequeathed all his manuscripts to his pupil Francesco Melzi.

The sheer abundance of drawings on subjects as varied as Anatomy, Weapons of war, Maps, and Botany all in addition to his many studies for paintings provide an insight into Leonardo’s genius. Shown here is a snippet of Leonardo’s drawings more examples of his weapons of war and his anatomical studies can be found in separate articles on this site. From his anatomical studies (his curiosity led him to dissect and examine over thirty corpses) to his portraits and sketches of war machines, his drawings form part of the research which was the foundation of his art.

Warrior by Leonardo da VinciWarrior 1478. (s)The British Museum.
Landscape with Swans, Leonardo da VinciLandscape with Swans. c1480. (s) Windsor Collection.
Head of a Lady by Leonardo da VinciHead of a Lady. Windsor Royal Collection. (s) 16.5 x 12.4cm.
Youth in a beret, Leonardo da VinciYouth in a beret. Pen on paper. (s) 18 x 15.5 cm. Paris, Cabinet des Dessins
Head of a Man and of a Lion, Leonardo da Vinci.Head of a Man and of a Lion, c.1503/5, red chalk heightened with white, 183 x 136 mm, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England. (s)
Grotesque Portrait Study of a Man, Leonardo da Vinci.Grotesque Portrait Study of a Man, c. 1500/5, black chalk, 390 x 280 mm, Christ Church, Oxford, England. (s)
Caricature of heads by Leonardo da VinciCaricature of heads. (s) Pen and ink on paper. 12.3 x 18 cm Accademia Venice.
Five Grotesque Heads, Leonardo da Vinci.Five Grotesque Heads, c. 1490, pen and ink, 261 x 206 mm, Royal Collection, England. (s)
Study of a Horse, Leonardo da Vinci.Silverpoint on blue paper. Windsor Royal Collection 1491-1491.
Study of a horse by Leonardo da VinciStudy of Horses. (s)
A Study of Horses and St George and the Dragon, Leonardo da Vinci.A Study of Horses and St George and the Dragon, c. 1517, pen and ink over black chalk, 298 x 212 mm, Windsor Castle, Berkshire. (s)
Red chalk sketch of an old man by Leonardo da VinciHead of an old man. (s) Red Chalk. A superbly modelled observation of the human face. Made as a study of ageing.
The Human Head and study of Horses, Leonardo da Vinci.The Human Head and study of Horses. (s) Venice Academia 1503. Pen and ink on paper 12.3 x 18 cm.
Study of Male Head and Architecture, Leonardo da Vinci.Study of Male Head and Architecture. (s) Sanguine and pen on paper. Windsor Royal Collection. 25.2 x 17.2cm.

Believed to be a study for the head of St James in the Last Supper.

Head of a woman by Leonardo da VinciHead of a Woman. (s) Pencil with white lead on red paper. 24.4 x 18.7cm. Windsor Royal Collection

For the head of St Anne in the Florentine Virgin and Child cartoon.

Landscape, Leonardo da Vinci.Landscape, pen on paper 19.5 x 28.5 cm (s) Uffizi Florence.

This is believed to be one of Leonardo's earliest works, it is inscribed in the upper left section.
"The day of the Holy Virgin of the snows 5th August 1473".

Profiles of Men and Ornaments, Leonardo da Vinci.Profiles of Men and Ornaments. (s) Pen on Paper 21.1 x 26.7 cm. Uffizi Florence.

The drawing is inscribed;
1478" I began the 2 Virgin Marys"

Larynx and Leg, Leonardo da Vinci.Larynx and Leg. 1510 (s) Pen, brown ink, and wash over black chalk on paper. 26 x 19.6 cm Royal Library Windsor Castle.
A study of Violas and Methods of Soldering, Leonardo da Vinci.A study of Violas and Methods of Soldering, c. 1487, pen and ink, 23.2 x 16.7 cm, Paris, France. (s)

Leonardo’s interest in the natural world can be seen in his many botanical studies of plants. These drawings of plants-many of which he used in his paintings-illustrate Leonardo’s attention to detail.

A Star of Bethlehem and other Plants, Leonardo da Vinci.A Star of Bethlehem and other plants, c. 1505/8, red chalk and pen and ink, 19.8 x 16 cm, Windsor Castle, Royal Library, Berkshire. (s)
Oak Leaves with Acorns and Dyer's Greenweed, Leonardo da Vinci.Oak Leaves with Acorns and Dyer's Greenweed, red chalk touched with white, Royal Library, Berkshire. (s)
Study of a Lily, Leonardo da Vinci.A Lily, c.1475, pen, ink and brown wash over black wash heightened with white, 31.4 x 17.7 cm, Windsor Castle, Royal Library, Berkshire. (s)
Horse and Rider, Study for the Sforza Monument, Leonardo da Vinci.Horse and Rider, Study for the Sforza Monument, silverpoint on blue paper, c. 1488/9, Windsor Castle, Berkshire. (s)

Leonardo’s fascination with fantastic mythical creatures is perfectly illustrated in these wonderful drawings of dragons.

Dragon attacking a Lion, Leonardo da Vinci.Dragon attacking a Lion, red chalk. (s)
Fantastic Dragon, Leonardo da Vinci.Fantastic Dragon, 1515/17, black chalk, pen and ink, 21 x 27 cm, Windsor Castle, Berkshire. (s)

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