A 1645 etching by Wenceslaus Hollar depicting two grotesque profiles, based on the original studies by Leonardo da Vinci.

This etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, dated 1645, reproduces the grotesque studies originally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Hollar, a prolific Bohemian printmaker who spent much of his career in England, was highly regarded for his technical precision and his ability to document a wide range of subjects, from topographical views to these curious physiognomic studies. The print captures two profiles facing one another, each exhibiting exaggerated, distorted features that were popular in the Renaissance tradition of caricature and the study of human physiognomy. The composition is stark and direct, focusing entirely on the facial structures. Hollar employs fine, controlled lines to define the contours of the heads, the heavy brows, and the bulbous, protruding lips of the figures. The cross-hatching technique provides volume and shadow, giving the figures a sculptural quality despite the two-dimensional medium. The inscription at the top, 'Leonardo da Vinci inv.' and 'W. Hollar fecit', clarifies the relationship between the original design and the printmaker's execution. These grotesque heads reflect a fascination with the extremes of human appearance, a genre that explored the boundaries between the human form and the monstrous. By translating these sketches into the medium of etching, Hollar made these rare, private studies accessible to a wider audience of collectors and artists. The work remains a fine example of the seventeenth-century interest in the intersection of scientific observation and artistic invention. The print is characterised by its clean lines and the absence of background detail, which ensures the viewer's attention remains fixed on the peculiar expressions and anatomical anomalies of the subjects.