The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Complete


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heads of fighting warriors. The two heads drawn in black chalk (pg.  
38) and the one seen in profile, turned to the left, drawn in red  
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chalk (pg. 339), correspond exactly with those of two horsemen in  
the scene of the fight round the standard as we see them in Madame  
Timbal's picture and in the other finished copies. An old copy of  
the last named drawing by a pupil of Leonardo is in MS. C. A. 187b;  
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61b (See Saggio, Tav. XXII). Leonardo used to make such finished  
studies of heads as those, drawn on detached sheets, before  
beginning his pictures from his drawings--compare the preparatory  
studies for the fresco of the Last Supper, given on Pl. XLVII and  
Pl. L. Other drawings of heads, all characterised by the expression  
of vehement excitement that is appropriate to men fighting, are to  
be seen at Windsor (No. 44) and at the Accademia at Venice (IV, 13);  
at the back of one of the drawings at Buda-Pesth there is the bust  
of a warrior carrying a spear on his left shoulder, holding up the  
left arm (See Csatakepek a XVI--lk Szazadbol osszeallitotta Pvlszky  
Karoly). These drawings may have been made for other portions of the  
cartoon, of which no copies exist, and thus we are unable to  
identify these preparatory drawings. Finally I may add that a sketch  
of fighting horse and foot soldiers, formerly in the possession of  
M. Thiers and published by Charles Blanc in his "Vies des Peintres"  
can hardly be accepted as genuine. It is not to be found, as I am  
informed, among the late President's property, and no one appears to  
know where it now is.  
An attempted reconstruction of the Cartoon, which is not only  
478  


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