Inscribed at bottom center in pen and brown ink, "Leonardo detto da Vinci / 1505 [?]".
Watermark: Serpent over letter "W" inside shield.
In this octagonal gouache drawing, six monks surround a brother, who is in the midst of receiving Last Rights. Death, ideally, for medieval and later Christians occurred at home, or in this case the monastery, with the dying person kept company by loved ones. As exemplified by the main figure in the present sheet, the dying person would receive Last Rights, a mechanism for the soul to be assured protection on the journey to God. It is likely that these monks are Carthusians, given that their monastic habits have a scapular joined by bands at the side and a cowl. If so, it is possible that the dying monk is Saint Bruno, founder of the order, who died at Serra San Bruno in Calabria, the last monastery that he founded. Here the dying monk receives the host. A bucket with an aspergillum has been placed in front of the bed in anticipation of asperging the monk's body.
McCrindle, Joseph F., former owner.