Female Head 1490

Leonardo da Vinci made this drawing, ‘Female Head’, using red chalk on paper sometime around 1500, while in Florence. During this time, Florence was a Republic and a hub for artistic innovation patronized by powerful families such as the Medici. Note how Leonardo’s image of a beautiful woman with her eyes closed departs from earlier depictions. The face is no longer idealized but individualized. We can see the influence of humanist philosophy, which emphasized human experience and the value of the individual, in this subtle portrayal. It is possible that this drawing was made as a study for a painting, and that Leonardo made use of a live model. The emphasis on this individual woman as beautiful and worthy of attention is a social departure from earlier depictions. Historians consult letters, diaries, financial records, and other documents to better understand the complex contexts that shaped this artwork. We can better understand ‘Female Head’ by exploring the social conditions, humanist philosophies, and artistic institutions of Renaissance Florence.