A Lion in Profile Facing to the Left ("Leo")
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk
Dimensions
sheet: 5 1/4 x 6 1/4 in. (13.3 x 15.8 cm) maximum; silhouetted
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Katrin Bellinger, 2008
Accession Number
2008.178.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giulio Romano, a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance and a key pupil of Raphael, created this intimate study of a lion in profile. Active in the early sixteenth century, Romano was celebrated for his inventive approach that bridged High Renaissance ideals with the emerging Mannerist style. The drawing, simply titled with the Latin word for lion (“Leo”), reflects the period’s growing interest in natural observation and classical motifs. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over black chalk, the work demonstrates Romano’s masterful control of line and tone. The layered ...
About the Artist
Giulio Romano · 1499–1546
Giulio Romano (c. 1499–1546) was the most gifted pupil of Raphael and one of the founding figures of Mannerism, the style that succeeded the High Renaissance in Italy. Born Giulio Pippi in Rome, he entered Raphael's workshop as a boy and proved so talented that by the time of Raphael's death in 1520 he was effectively running the studio and overseeing the completion of major unfinished commissions...