A female with hair tied back and a bald male facing each other
Medium
Etching; third state of three (NH)
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 13/16 × 5 3/8 in. (12.3 × 13.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.18-210
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate etching, titled *A Female with Hair Tied Back and a Bald Facing Each Other*, captures two facing busts—a woman with her hair neatly pulled back and a bald man—in a direct, observational encounter. Created in 1645 by Czech-born engraver Wenceslauslar after an original drawing by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, exemplifies Hollar's skill in translating Leonardo's precise studies into print. Measuring just 4 13/16 × 5 3/8 inches, this third state of three (per New Hollstein cataloguing) invites close viewing, revealing the fine lines and subtle modeling that define both artist...
About the Artist
Leonardo da Vinci|Wenceslaus Hollar · 1452–1519
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) stands as the quintessential Renaissance polymath, whose genius spanned painting, sculpture, architecture, science, mathematics, engineering, anatomy, geology, cartography, botany, and writing. Born in Vinci, Italy, as the illegitimate son of a notary, Leonardo received limited formal education but demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from an early age. His appr...