Leonardo da Vinci’s Head of Christ drawing in Venice
Discover an in-depth study of the drawing of the Head of Christ in Venice by Leonardo da Vinci, its influence on Giampietrino, and the Christ Carrying the Cross paintings.
Head of Christ and Hand Grasping Hair, Leonardo da Vinci, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, No. 231
The site provides access to resources about the Leonardo da Vinci Christ drawing:
• A general presentation of Leonardo’s da Vinci Christ drawing and its historical context.
• Explanatory videos (French, English & Italian) clearly illustrating the key points of the study.
• Downloadable PDF documents: 70 page full studies (French & English) and summaries (French, English & Italian).
Leonardo da Vinci Christ drawing and the ‘ritratto di spalla’, Giampietrino’s Christ Carrying the Cross
Done in the iconic style of the Italian master, the Drawing of the Head of Christ in Venice reveals a remarkable ‘Ritratto di Spalla’ shoulder-length portrait shown here), one of Leonardo’s key characteristics. This distinctive feature, demonstrated through rigorous analysis, shows how this work served as the source for depictions of Christ Carrying the Cross by several Italian artists, particularly Lombard painters such as Giampietrino (scroll through the images).
Around 1520, Giampietrino produced several versions on this theme, based on a single model. Three of them (London, Budapest, and Turin), shown here, most likely derive from the same cartoon. The one in Vienna is slightly larger.
A Rigorous Superimposition of the Drawing’s Lines onto Giampietrino’s Work
A detailed digital analysis made it possible to superimpose the lines of the Head of Christ drawing from Venice onto the portrait of Christ painted by Giampietrino. This comparison highlights a striking correspondence between the main lines of the two figures, especially in the profile of the nose, the mouth, and the overall tilt of the head. It confirms that Giampietrino’s model is, among the known works, the one that most faithfully reflects Leonardo da Vinci’s original drawing.
Caption: The red lines indicate the main contours of Leonardo da Vinci’s Head of Christ drawing. These lines, overlaid without alteration onto Giampietrino’s figure of Christ (mirrored image), reveal a precise match in the profiles and the inclination.
