A design for a dragon costume

A drawing of a dragon, moving in profile to the right. It has a hairy body, a tail, short horns, an open mouth and, apparently, a hairy, clawed arm coming out of the back of its neck. Melzi's number 29. As a court artist in France, Leonardo designed exotic costumes for the many entertainments staged for King Francis I. This drawing appears to be a study for a dragon costume to house two men, in the manner of a pantomime horse. A clawed arm sketched in black chalk can be seen emerging from the side of the head, at the natural height of a man who supplies the front legs of the beast, and who supports the oversized head on his shoulders, as in a Chinese festival dragon. See also RCIN 912573 - 912577. Text adapted from Leonardo da Vinci: A life in drawing, London, 2018