Leda and the Swan

Leonardo's Leda and the Swan, depicting the mythological union of Leda with Zeus in swan form, is a lost masterpiece known only through copies and preparatory drawings. The original, painted around 1508-1515, depicted Leda standing in a contrapposto pose with the swan, surrounded by her offspring hatching from eggs. The painting was reportedly last seen at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France, where it may have been destroyed or simply lost. The best surviving copy, attributed to Cesare da Sesto, is in the Galleria Borghese, and numerous preparatory studies by Leonardo survive in the Royal Collection at Windsor.

Based on surviving copies and Leonardo's preparatory drawings, the composition featured a complex serpentine pose of the standing Leda that anticipated Mannerist figure compositions. Leonardo's characteristic sfumato would have enveloped the scene in atmospheric softness, while the botanical details of the landscape setting reflected his deep study of natural forms and growth patterns.