Sheet of studies with a youth and the head of an old man looking to the right (Homer?)

The artist has created studies of various male heads on both the recto and verso of the page; these were later used in various frescoes. This is also true of the figure on the left. However, no documented connection of the impressive profile head at the right has ever been made to any of the artist’s works. It was drawn from a Hellenistic bust, very likely a portrait of the ancient poet Homer.
The artist was in no way concerned with precisely recording of the ancient sculpture. Rather, he viewed it as an artistic model for depicting the head of an old man. His use of chalk imbues the ancient model with an enormous amount of vitality. The casual composition of the hair and beard and the finely modelled face, cast in shadow, no longer bear any resemblance to the stony quality of the marble bust.