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Oak (Quercus robur) and dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria)
c.1505-10RCIN 912422
A study of a spray of oak-leaves with a cluster of acorns. To the left is a drawing of a spray of Dyer's greenweed showing a flower and pods. A number of Leonardo’s botanical drawings are executed in an unusual technique of red chalk on paper with an orange-red coating. In this remarkably bold study of a sprig of oak, the dense shading gives the drawing a great sense of solidity and life.