Leonardo was of the opinion that a person’s face shows his character, and put a lot of effort into illustrating this, drawing a multitude of faces in sketches and caricatures.
The wreath of ivy and the lion’s head, together, were then signs of Bacchus, but this drawing also illustrates the notion that a person’s face says something about his character.
A man like a lion – even threw a skin with the head of a lion on his shoulders, for comparison: a man whose face reminds such a lion, and the character is similar to him.