ABSTRACT
In one of his notes in the Codex Vaticanus Urbinas lat . 1270, Leonardo da Vinci uses hairstyling to illustrate his concept of artistic imitation of nature. The chapter focuses on the passage in which Leonardo distances himself from excessive body care while carrying forward the principles of ancient rhetoric, as first set out by Cicero, and of painting, as first set out by Leon Battista Alberti. These principles involve concealing artificiality and making both speech and painting appear ‘unkempt’ or natural in order to create an appearance of beauty. Through references to combs, mirrors and substances such as gum arabic and gold pomades, Leonardo transforms the discourse on bodily adornment into a reflection on artistic practice. Beauty care becomes a metaphor for imitation: Just as natural beauty arises from art that conceals its artifice, painting achieves perfection by emulating and ultimately surpassing nature.
