The throat, and the muscles of the leg, c.1510-11 (pen & ink with wash over...

probably acquired by Charles II (1630-85) The leg was presumably the first drawing to be made on the sheet, but the remainder of the page is devoted to the throat. Leonardo studies the forms of the pharynx, larynx and trachea, and attempts to describe the mechanics of breathing, speaking and swallowing. The bones of the left foot are seen from below (at the centre of the sheet) and from above, with the tibia and fibula (inadvertently transposed) lifted away to show their articulation with the talus bone. Along the bottom of the page is a beautiful presentation of the muscles, nerves and vessels of the neck. In the first two drawings the sternocleidomastoid muscle is prominent; in the third, that muscle is removed to show the structures beneath.