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 Michelangelo entitled Man Nude, with Proportions indicated, originally drawn c.1515-20
Acquired by George III, King of the United Kingdom (1738-1820), by c.1810.Two tones of red chalk. With only two exceptions, the drawings by Michelangelo in the Royal Library were first recorded in the collection of George III. This is one of Michelangelo's most majestic studies of a nude, possibly intended for teaching purposes having the proportions of various parts of the body indicated. Throughout his life the artist was drawn to the investigation of musculature and form, as reflected in this drawing. Of his few pupils, Sebastiano del Piombo (c.1485-1547) was probably the most adept and it was possibly drawn for Sebastiano as a teaching aid.
Print size inches: 6.2 x 9.8