Leonardo da Vinci
1817
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1817
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Leonardo da Vinci is a 1817 by Raffaello Morghen, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of an older man with a long beard and a soft cap pulled low over his forehead. His face is turned slightly to the side, and the artist used shading to show the texture of his fur collar and wrinkled skin. The background is plain and dark, so all the focus stays on his face. The name "Leonardo da Vinci" is written below the image, but this isn’t a painting by him—it’s a later print. The artist who made it, Raffaello Morghen, was known for his detailed portraits. Look up chiaroscuro to see how this strong contrast between light and dark shapes a face.
