Antique & Vintage Postcards

The aged sage gazes sidelong from beneath a dark beret, his silver beard cascading in leonine waves — this warm-toned photomechanical reproduction of the Autoritratto attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, held in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, is among the most recognizable images in the history of Western portraiture, reproduced here in a creamy halftone palette on a classic Italian museum postcard numbered N. 92. Whether one accepts the Turin red-chalk drawing or this Uffizi panel as a true self-portrait remains debated by scholars, but the image's power as a cultural icon is undeniable — it is the face the world assigns to Leonardo. Published by the venerable Milanese house of Ernesto Richter (later absorbed by Alterocca and successors), whose embossed oval stamp appears on the reverse alongside the designation "Printed in Italy." The card is unused and retains crisp tonal contrast.