Set of two lithographic prints comprising:
lithographic print of drawing by Leonardo da Vinci entitled A Man Tricked by Gypsies, originally drawn c.1493
Acquired by Charles II, King England (1630-85). Bequeathed to Francesco Melzi; purchased by Pompeo Leoni, c.1582-90; Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel by 1630 and finally resting with The Royal Collection by 1690.Pen and Ink on white paper. Recto: A composition of five heads depicting four grotesque gypsies surrounding the central figure of an old man wearing a wreath of oak leaves. Gypsies acquired a reputation for fortune telling and theft in the early fifteenth century and were ordered to leave Milan in April 1493. The drawing shows the figure on the right reading the old man's palm - a section of the paper has for some reason been trimmed off at an earlier date - whilst in the foreground the crone on the left slips her hand beneath his arm to steal his purse. Verso: An inscription describing evil men.
Print size inches: 7.8 x 9.8 together with lithographic print of drawing by Leonardo da Vinci entitled A Seated Old Man, originally drawn c.1510
Acquired by Charles II, King England (1630-85). Bequeathed to Francesco Melzi; purchased by Pompeo Leoni, c.1582-90; Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel by 1630 and finally resting with The Royal Collection by 1690.A pen and ink sketch of an old man seated in front of a tree meditating, seemingly looking towards four separate studies of swirling water, a theme which fascinated Leonardo all his life. The inscription in Leonardo's hand explains the 'motion of the surface of the water which resembles hair'. On the verso of this sheet are various architectural studies in red chalk.
Print size inches: 8.6 x 6.3