A Lion in Profile Facing to the Left ("Leo")

Art Historical Context

Giulio Romano, a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance and a key pupil of Raphael, created this intimate study of a lion in profile. Active in the early sixteenth century, Romano was celebrated for his inventive approach that bridged High Renaissance ideals with the emerging Mannerist style. The drawing, simply titled with the Latin word for lion (“Leo”), reflects the period’s growing interest in natural observation and classical motifs. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over black chalk, the work demonstrates Romano’s masterful control of line and tone. The layered media allow subtle modeling of the animal’s powerful musculature and alert expression, while the small, silhouetted sheet—measuring just over five by six inches—suggests it may have served as a preparatory sketch or collector’s piece. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Drawings and Prints collection, this sensitive rendering offers visitors a glimpse into Renaissance artists’ fascination with the animal world and their technical virtuosity on paper.

About the Artist

Giulio Romano · 1499–1546

Giulio Romano (c. 1499–1546) was the most gifted pupil of Raphael and one of the founding figures of Mannerism, the style that succeeded the High Renaissance in Italy. Born Giulio Pippi in Rome, he entered Raphael's workshop as a boy and proved so talented that by the time of Raphael's death in 1520 he was effectively running the studio and overseeing the completion of major unfinished commissions...