Naked male torso seen from behind
Medium
Etching; only state
Dimensions
3 9/16 x 2 1/16 in. (9.1 x 5.2 cm) upper left and bottom right corners cut
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.18-239
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, titled *Naked Male Torso Seen from Behind*, captures the masterful anatomy of a male nude in a rear view, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci as the original draftsman andenceslaus Hollar as theaver. Created in 1645—the only known state of this print—its modest dimensions (3 9/16 x 2 1/16 in.) reflect the intimate scale of Renaissance drawing studies, though the upper left and bottom right corners have been trimmed, adding a touch of historical wear. Hollar, a prolific 17th-century Bohemiancher based in London, faithfully reproduced Leonardo's intricate pen-and-ink drawing,...
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...