Francesco Mazzuoli, called II Parmigianino

Although inscribed by an early collector with the name of Leonardo da Vinci, this is in fact one of a group of drawings by the artist Parmigianino after a sculpted bust. The sparse hair, long furrowed neck, aquiline nose, cleft chin, and specific topography of the furrowed forehead identify the subject as the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. Parmigianino’s patterned cross-hatching and dappled application of wash create dramatic light effects that are also characteristic of the etchings and chiaroscuro woodcuts made after his drawings.