Ten drawings by Leonardo da Vinci

This exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery gives a good overview of the breadth of Leonardo da Vinci’s interests and celebrates the technical brilliance of his drawings. It was wonderful to be able to examine them so closely and in fact some of the images were so intricate that we needed magnifying glasses (supplied by the Museum) to see all the details. We began by looking at the anatomical drawings of the feet and arms showing the bones and muscles in detail. These images are on different sides of the same piece of paper and it is amazing to consider that they were drawn in pen and ink, from life and that there are no crossings out or amendments, just twelve beautifully drawn and medically accurate images. The same accuracy was used to draw sprigs of oak and dyer’s greenweed in red chalk, a medium which Leonardo made popular. These botanical drawings were made for a painting of Leda and the swan, in which Leonardo wanted to express the fecundity of nature. Also for this painting he made several studies of the head of Leda, one of which is shown in this exhibition. This beautiful depiction of a young woman with her head bowed to show off her elaborate hairstyle is captivating. The catalogue informed me that Leonardo and his contemporaries were fascinated by ornate hairstyles, and I would certainly like to know how this one was constructed. The other drawings in this exhibition were of costumes for a masque, designs for weapons, an apocalyptic scene, a map of the Pontine Marshes, engineering drawings and the head of an old man, between them they show the breadth of Leonardo’s interests and skills. All the drawings come from the Royal Collection and are being shown in venues around the country to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee.