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LEONARDO da Vinci: Cavern with ducks

🖼 Cavern with ducks, 1482-85
Pen and ink on paper
220 × 158 cm
Windsor, United Kingdom

Soft brushwork renders a shadowed cavern where ducks gather near water, capturing intimate naturalistic detail. Leonardo's study demonstrates his obsessive observation of animal behavior and geology, merging scientific curiosity with artistic mastery.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
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