File talk:Wenceslas Hollar - Two deformed heads behind a wall (State 2).jpg

King and Queen of Tunis

Portrait by Quentin Massys

The engraving has upon it the addition of an inscription in pen and ink, which post-dates the work itself and mistakenly presumes Leonardo to be the source.

• The two figures that are depicted both come from paintings by Quentin Massys.
• The female figure is in the National Gallery, London, and is nick-named The Ugly Duchess.
• The male figure a profile portrait.
• NOTE that the mans face is not deformed. He has almost certainly lost his top front teeth, causing his nose and lower lip to protrude more than they would have in his youth.
• Both the faces are reversed in the Hollar print. This has to do with the printing process.
• On the National Gallery of London website, it is suggested that Quentin Massys based his painting on the drawing (now at Windsor Castle) that has long been associated with Leonardo and his grotesques. (hence the pen inscription on the curent print).
• However, the attribution of the drawing to Leonardo is almost certainly erroneous (having been made in the 19th century). The style of drawing is nothing like that employed by Leonardo for his "grotesques". It is certain that the drawing is a study after the painting, and neither a Leonardo original, nor a study for the painting itself. This myth should not be perpetuated by the National Gallery!

Amandajm (talk) 16:31, 6 October 2010 (UTC)