Bust of elderly man with nose that meets his lower lip, wearing wide flat cap in profile to left
Medium
Etching; only state
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in. (6.7 × 4.8 cm) Plate: 2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in. (6.6 × 4.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.18-268
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, titled *Bust of Elderly Man with Nose that Meets His Lower Lip, Wearing Flat Cap in Profile to*, captures a striking profile portrait attributed to a drawing by Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (145–1519), faithfully reproduced by master printmaker Wenceslaus Hollar in 1665. Hollar, a Bohemian renowned for his meticulous etchings of Old Master works, created this as the only state of the plate—meaning no subsequent editions altered it—preserving da Vinci's keen observation of human form in exquisite detail. The small scale (just 2⅝ × 1⅞ inches) invites close viewing, revealing the elderly man's distinctive features: a dramatically elongated nose blending into his lower lip and a wide, flat cap evoking perhaps a humble or regional figure from da Vinci's Milanese or Tuscan studies. Etching, an intaglio technique where acid bites lines into a metal plate, allowed Hollar to mimic da Vinci's fluid pen strokes and sfumato-like softness, translating the Italian master's anatomical curiosity into print form. Produced over a century after da Vinci's death, it reflects the 17th-century fascination with Renaissance prototypes, bridging eras through reproductive prints that made elite art accessible. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (purchased via the Joseph Pulitzer Bequest in 1917), this gem highlights how prints democratized genius, offering timeless insight into age, character, and the human visage.
About the Artist
Leonardo da Vinci|Wenceslaus Hollar · 1452–1519
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) stands as the quintessential Renaissance polymath, whose genius spanned painting, sculpture, architecture, science, mathematics, engineering, anatomy, geology, cartography, botany, and writing. Born in Vinci, Italy, as the illegitimate son of a notary, Leonardo received limited formal education but demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from an early age. His appr...