In the Renaissance period man - the workings of his mind, and the structure of his body - became the central interest of artists and writers. For the first time artists drew and painted living models, as well as imitating the works of classical antiquity. This red chalk drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, dating from the start of the sixteenth century, was made in preparation for a mural of a battle which was to be painted in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, but was never completed

The Royal Collection © 2005 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II