I used to marvel together and grieve that so many excellent and divine arts and sciences, such as for their works and for the histories we see abundant, were in these vertuous past antiques, now so missing and almost all lost: painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, rhetoricians, rhetoricians, greetings and similar very noble and marvellous intellects today are very rare and little to be praised. Waves of esteem were made, as much as this being heard by many, that already nature, the master of things, made ancient and ragged, no longer produced as neither giuganti so nor ingenuity, as in its almost youthful and more glorious times produced, very wide and marvellous. But then that I, from the long exile in which we Alberti are grown old, was here in this one of ours above the other most adorned country, including in many, but first in you, Philip, and in that very friend of ours, Donato the sculptor, and in those others, Nencio and Luca and Masaccio, to be at every praised thing of ingenuity, not to be postponed to what was antiquo and famous in these arts. Therefore I am greedy in our industry and diligence no less than in the goodness of nature, and of the times to be able to acquire every praise of any virtue. Confessed, yes, to those who were against us, having what copy they had from whom to learn and imitate them, the less difficult it was to go up into the knowledge of those great arts, which are so laborious to us this day: but here the more our name must be the greater, if we without preceptors, without any, find arts and sciences unheard and unseen. Whoever, so hard or so envious, would not praise Goofy the architect, seeing here such a great structure, erect above the heavens, so wide to cover with its shadow all the peoples of Tuscany, made without any help of trusses or copies of wood, what artifice, if I play well, as in these times it was incredible to be able to, so perhaps the ancients were neither known nor known? But of your praise and of the virtue of our Donato, together with the others whom I am very grateful to for their customs, there will be another place to recite it. You persevere as much in finding, as you do from day to day, things for which your marvelous genius acquires perpetual fame and name, and if in time it happens to you, I shall like to see again my operetta de pictura as I did in your name in the Tuscan language. You will see three books: the first, all mathematical, from the roots within nature gives rise to this graceful and very noble art. The second book places art in the hands of the creator, distinguishing its parts and demonstrating everything. The third establishes the creator which and how he can and must acquire perfect art and news of all painting. If you like to read me with diligence, and if it seems to you to amend it, correct me. No writer was ever so learned as to be a scholar to whom erudite friends were not very useful; and I wish to be amended by you in the first place, so as not to be bitten by detractors.
1. Writing de pictura in these very brief commentaries, so that our saying is very clear, we shall take from mathematicians those things which belong to our mother before our own; and knowing them, as ingenuity will bring us, we shall expose painting from the first principles of nature. But in all our fable much priego consider me not as a mathematician but as a painter to write about these things. Those with only ingenuity, separated from all matera, measure the forms of things. We, because we want things to be placed to be seen, for this reason we will use what they say the fattest Minerva, and we will esteem well if in any way in this certain difficult and by no one else that I know described matera, who we will read will mean. Therefore, I will not deny our sayings as if they were interpreted by a painter alone.
2. I say in principle we need to know the point to be a sign which cannot be divided in part. Here I appeal to whatever is on the surface so that the eye can see it. Of the things we cannot see, no one denies that we belong to the painter. Only study the painter to fake what we can see. And the dots, if in order they cost each other, grow a line. And near us it will be a line whose longitude can be divided, but of such width it will be so thin that it cannot be cut. Of the lines none is called straight, none flexed. The straight line will be from one point to another straight line in a long sign. The flexed line will be from one point to another not straight, but as an arc made sign. More lines, almost as in the canvas, the more threads joined together, make surface. And the surface is a certain extreme part of the body, which is known not for its depth, but only for its longitude and latitude and for its qualities. Some qualities are perpetual on the surface which, if you do not alter the surface, nothing can move. Others are such qualities that, remaining the same being of the surface, even so they lie to see them that seem to those who look at them changed. There are two perpetual qualities. The one is known by that last hem which closes the surface, and it will be this hem closed by one or more lines. One will be the circulare; they will be more like a flexed and a straight line, or together more straight lines. It will be a circle which bows a circle. It will be a circle which forms a whole line almost as a garland surrounds it; and if there is a point in the middle here, any line from this point to the garland will be from one mensure to the other equal, and this point in the middle is called centric. And that straight line, which shall cover the point, and cut the circle in two places, is called diametre. It is good to call it centric. And let there be persuaded mathematicians persuaded, as they say, that no line shall mark the garland of the circle with equal angles save that one which is straight over the centre.
3. But back to the surface. Here you see that changed the going of the hem the surface mutates and face and name, and that triangle will now be said quadrangle or more chants. It is said to have changed the hem if the lines or true the angles will be more or less, longer, shorter, more acute or more obtuse. This place admonishes us to say the angles. I say angle be certain end of surface, made by two lines such as one saw to the other. There are three kinds of angles: straight, obtuse, acute. The right angle shall be one of four made by two straight lines, wherein the one saws the other, so that each one is equal to the other. From this it is said, That all the right angles are equal unto themselves. The obtuse angle is that which is greater than the rectum, and that which is less than the rectum is called acute.
4. Still going back to the surface. Be persuaded, as much as at the hem its lines and angles do not change, so much will be the same surface. We have shown a quality that never starts from the surface. We have to say of the other quality which is almost like a peel over the whole hump of the surface. This one is divided into three. They are some flat surfaces, some hollowed in, some swollen out and sperical; and to this one, the fourth, which is composed of two of these. The flat surface will be that which, on top of which you draw a straight ruler, at each side will be drawn; the surface of the water is very similar to this one. The surface of Hope resembles the bump of Hope. They say that the hope is a body that is retarded, fickle in every part, in which a point sits in the middle, from which point what is the extreme part of that body to the other similar is distant. The hollowed-out surface will be inside, under the last extremity of the surface, hopeful, almost like draining the egg shell. The compound surface will be the one that in one direction is flat, in another direction is hollowed out or sperical, which are draining the cannons and outside the columns.
5. The hem and back give names to the surfaces. But there are two qualities, for which the surface is not altered, and the name of the surface is not changed, though it may be changed, and the name of the surface may be altered, but they are changed by change of the place, or by change of the lamps. Let us say first of the place, and then of the lamps, and let us investigate in what way the qualities of the surface are changed. This belongs to the power of seeing, but it is that, when the site is changed, things will seem greater or greater, or of other hem, or of other colour, which all things we measure by seeing. Let us look for these reasons of his, beginning with the sentence of the philosophers, who say that they measure the surface with some rockets almost ministers to see, called for this reason visual, which bring the form of things seen to the sense. And here we imagine the rockets almost to be very thin threads from one end, almost like a very narrow map tied within the eye where the sense that it sees sits, and here, almost as the trunk of all the rockets, that knot extends very straight and very thinly to the opposite surface. But between these rockets there is a difference necessary to know. It's their differences in strength and their officies. Some of these rockets, on the edge of the surface, measure all their quantities. So why do they rocket the last and extreme parts of the surface, name them extreme or extrinsic. Other rockets from all the back of the surface come out to the eye, and these have its officies, but from these colours and these bright lights from which the surface shines, they implore the pyramid of which we shall say in its place: and these are called median rockets. And among the visual rockets there is one called centric. This, when it comes down to the surface, makes here and there right and equal angles return to itself. I say centric, similar to the above mentioned centric line. So we found three differences of rockets: extreme, middle and centric.
6. Now let's investigate what each rocket does to see. First we shall say of the extremes, then of the mizzen, and there open the centric. With extreme rockets we measure quantities. Quantity is called every space above the surface from one point on the edge to another. And measure the eye these quantities with the visual rockets almost as with a couple of sixes. And there are in each surface as many quantities as there are spaces between point to point, but that the height from bottom to top, the width from right hand to left, the width between near and long, and whatever other dimension is measured, these extreme rockets are used for that. Waves are usually said to be a triangle at the sight, the base of which is the quantity view and the sides are these rockets, which extend from the points of the quantity to the eye. And it is very certain that no quantity can be seen without a triangle. The angles in this visual triangle are first the two points of the quantity; the third, which is opposite the base, is draining to the eye. Here are the rules: as far as the eye is concerned, the angle will be sharp, so much so that the quantity view will appear smaller. From here it is known which cause a very distant quantity almost opinion not greater than one point. And though this is so, there is no quantity and surface of which, the more near it is, the less you see, and from a long time you see much more of it. I saw of this egg in the hopeful body. At any rate, the quantities for distance seem greater and lesser. And he who tastes well what is said, I think he means, as the interval has changed, the extrinsic rockets become medians, and so the extrinsic medians; and he will mean, where the median rockets are extrinsic, immediately that quantity will be the lesser opinion, and the opposite, when the extreme rockets will be within the hemline, the further away from the hemline, the greater the quantity seen will seem to be.
7. Here I am following my friends to give such a rule: as to see the more rockets you occupy, the more you see the greater, and the less rockets, the less. And these extrinsic rockets so circling the surface that one touches the other, they close the whole surface almost like glass to a cage, and do as they say that visual pyramid. So it seems to me to say what a pyramid is, and how it's from these rockets construed. We're going to describe it in our own way. The pyramid will be a figure of a body from the base of which all the straight lines drawn up end at one point. The base of this pyramid will be a surface that can be seen. The sides of the pyramid are those rockets that I called extrinsic. The cusp, that is the tip of the pyramid, is draining to the eye here where the angle of the quantities is. Up to this point we said of the extrinsic rockets from which the pyramid is conceived, and it seems proven to me how much it differentiates one more than another distance between the eye and what is seen. Then we said of the median rockets what are the multitude in the pyramid within the extrinsic rockets; and they do as the cameleon is said, an animal that takes every thing of colour next to itself, but from where they touch the surface even to the eye, so they take colour and light from the surface, that wherever it breaks them, you would find them for all things bright and coloured. And of this we can see that for a long distance they remain unbridgeable. I think it's a reason why, laden with light and colour, they pass through the air, which, damp of a certain fatness, tears up the rocket loads. Waves we drew rule: the greater the distance, the more the surface view will seem more blurred.
8. Stay and tell us about the centric rocket. It will be centric rocket that one only, which is the amount that here and there each corner is at the other equal. This one rocket, among all the other very lively and vivacious, makes that no amount never seems greater than when it wounds it. More things may be said of this rocket, but it is sufficient that this one, stowed away from the other rockets, abandons the last thing that is seen; so that it may be called the prince of rockets. It seems to me to have proved much, that when the distance was changed, and the setting of the centric rocket changed, the surface was immediately altered. Therefore the distance and the position of the centric rocket is very true to the certainty of seeing. And give us a third opinion of the varied surface. This comes from receiving the lumen. If you see in the hopeful and concave surfaces, if you go to one lamp, you have this dark and the light part; and it is good that it is the same distance and position of the centric line, if you place the lamp elsewhere you will see those parts, which were clear before, and now are dark, and the light parts which were dark; and where there are more lamps around them, according to their number and strength you will see more maculae of light and dark.
9. This place amends me to say of the colours together and of the light. It seems to me manifest that the colours take variation from the lamps, then that every colour in the shade seems not that which is in the light. The shadow is the fusco colour, and the light is clear where it strikes. Philosophers say that nothing can be seen that is not illuminated and colored. So they keep the colours with the lumens to be seen, and how great it is to see it, that the lack of the lumen lacks the colours, and when the lumen returns the colours come back. Therefore it seems to me to say before the colours, then we shall investigate how under the light they change. Let us speak as a painter. I say for the permissibility of colours to be born infinite other colours, but true colours only be as the elements, four, from which more and more other spices of colours are born. Let the colour of fire be red, of the celestial air, of the water green, and of the earth bigia and cenericcia. The other colours, like jasper and porphyry, are allowed of these. Therefore four are kinds of colours, and they make spices of their own according to whether they are dark or light, black or white, and are almost innumerable. Let us look at the vertigo foliage of degree able to lose the vegetables by insinus, which become dull; similar in air, about at the horizon, it is not rare to be white vapour, and little by little, to follow each other losing. And in the roses we see some very purple, some resembling to the cheeks of the young girls, some ivory. And so the earth according to the white and 'l black makes its spices of colour.
10. Therefore, the permistione of white does not change the colours, but it does well make spices. Thus the black color holds similar strength with its permistione make almost infinite spices of colors. Seen from the shade the altered colours: growing the shade the colours are impious, and growing the lamp become the more open and light colours. For this reason we can persuade the painter that 'white and black are not true colours, but are alterations of the other colours, but that the painter finds nothing with which he presents the last lustre of the light, other than white, and thus only black to demonstrate the darkness. Add that you will never find black or white, which is not under any of those four colours.
11. Lightning followers. I say of the Enlightenment any being from the stars, as from the sun, the moon, and that other beautiful star Venus. Other lights are from the fires. But you can see a lot of difference between them. The starlight makes the shadow equal to the body, but the fire makes them greater. It remains a shadow where the light flares are interrupted. The rockets are interrupted or return, or come back, or get angry elsewhere. He saw it straight ahead when, added to the surface of the water, they wound the beams of the house. About these reflexes we could say more things, which belong to those miracles of painting, which more my companions saw me do in Rome. But it is enough here that these flexible rockets seco bring that colour which they trickle to the surface. See him that he who walks on meadows in the sun appears in the face of verzoso.
12. And we said unto this point of the surface; we said of the rockets; we said in what manner we saw the pyramid be made; we proved the distance and the position of the centric rocket, together, and to receive the lamps. Now when we look not only at one surface, but more, we shall inquire how many together come together to be seen. You saw that each surface in itself holds its pyramid, colours and lamps. But then that the bodies are covered by surfaces, all the views together surface of one body will make a pyramid of as many smaller pregnant pyramids as in that look you will see surface. But will anyone here say, "What good is it to the painter to investigate so much?" Estimi every painter there himself to be an excellent master, where well he understands the proportions and agiugnamenti of the surface; what very few know, and asking on that which is dyed surface what they try to do, saying everything else more about what you ask. Therefore I pray the scholars painters are not ashamed to hear us. Never was it filthy to learn from whom one is what good to know. And let them know that <when> with its lines they circle the surface, and when they are unholy of colours and places described, nothing else is to be sought except that in this surface the forms of the things seen are represented, not otherwise than if it were made of shimmering glass such that the visual pyramid would then pass through, placed a certain distance, with certain lights and a certain position of centre in the air and in its places elsewhere. What such a thing to be, each painter shows when he paints himself far away from nature, almost as if he were looking for the tip and corner of the pyramid, so that he intends the painted things better to look at them. But where we see this alone to be a single surface, or wall or table, in which the painter studies to figure more surface included in the visual pyramid, convert them in some place saw through this pyramid, to what similar hems and colors with its lines the painter can paint to express. Whatever if this is what I said, to whomever aims a painting sees a certain intersection of a pyramid. It will be painting, then, nothing other than the intersegation of the visual pyramid, given the distance, the centre and the lumens, in a certain surface with artificial lines and colours represented.
13. Now that we said that painting was an interception of the pyramid, we should investigate whatever this known intersection does to us. Let us have a new principle of reasoning about surfaces, from which we said that the pyramid was coming out. I say of the surfaces any being in the earth poured and lying, like the floors and the sunshine of buildings and each surface which is equally distant from it. Others are leaning to the side, like the walls and other hilly surfaces to the walls. The surfaces equally distant from each other will be, when the distance between one and the other in each of its parts will be equal. Hilly surfaces shall be those, as a straight line in each part equally shall touch, as the faces of the square pillars placed in order in a porch. And these are these things to be added to those which we said above unto the surface. And to those things which we said of the intrinsic, extrinsic, and centric rockets, and to those things which we said of the pyramid, add the judgment of the mathematicians, that if a straight line cut two sides of a triangle, and this line be this line, if it be a triangle, equidistant from the line of the first and greatest triangle, it shall certainly be this lesser triangle to the greater proportional one. So say the mathematicians.
14. But we, to make our sayings clearer, will speak in this wider. We understand here what is proportional. Proportional say that those triangles with sides and angles have a reason that, if one side of this triangle is twice as long as the base and the other three, every similar triangle, either greater or lesser, having the same convenience at its base, will be proportional to the proportional triangle: but what reason lies apart in the lesser triangle, the reason still lies in the greater one. Therefore, all triangles made in this way will be proportional to each other. And to better understand this, we will use a similarity. You see a petiole man certainly proportional to a large one; it prevailed that the same proportion, from the palm to the step and from the foot to the other parts of his body, was in Evander as it was in Hercules, as Aulus Jelius coined to have been great above other men. Neither was similar in Hercules's body proportion other than in the members of the giant Anteus, where the one and the other joined with equal reasons and orders from the hand to the cubit and from the cubit to the head, and so then each of its members. Similar thrushes nor triangles measure, for which the lesser to the greater is, except in the magnitude, equal. And if I am well understood here, I will instature with the mathematicians that every intercession of whatever triangle, even if equidistant from the base, makes a new triangle proportional to the greater one. And those things such as proportional syeno among themselves correspond in these parts; but where the parts are different and little correspond, they are certainly not proportional.
15. And they are part of the visual triangle, as I told you, the rockets, which will certainly be in the proportional quantities, as to the number, even, and in the non-proportional quantities, not even; it is imperative that one of these non-proportional quantities will occupy rockets or more or less. You saw how a smaller triangle is proportional to a larger one, and you learned from the triangles to become the visual pyramid. So let us translate our reasoning to this pyramid. But let us be persuaded that no amount equidistant from the intercession can make any alteration in painting: it is imperative that they are in each equedistant intersegation equal to its proportions. What things are thus, it follows that, if you do not alter the quantities so that they are hemmed in, there will be no alteration of the same hem in painting. And so it remains manifest that every intersegation of the visual pyramid, whatever its equedistant surface is at the view, will be at that looked proportional surface.
16. We said surfaces proportional to intercession, i.e. equedistant from the painted surface. But then, that many surfaces are not equedistant, and are convient of these having diligent investigation, so that all the reason for the intersegation is manifest. It would be long, difficult and obscure in these intersegations of triangles and pyramids to follow everything with the rule of mathematicians. We will follow it by saying as a painter.
17. Let's say very short non-equedistant quantities, as known, easy to know the non-equedistant surfaces. Some of the non-equedistant quantities are to the hilly visual rockets, others are to some equedistant visual rockets. The quantities to the hilly visual rockets, because they do not make triangle nor occupy number of rockets, therefore no place have at the intersection. But the quantities to the equedistant visual rockets, as the angle which is greater in the triangle at the base will be more obtuse, the less that quantity will occupy the rockets and therefore at the intersegation less space. We said to go back to covering the surface by the quantities; but where it is not rare that in a surface there will be some quantity equedistant from the intersegation, that quantity so made quantity will certainly make no alteration in the painting. Those true quantities which are not equedistant, as far as the angle at the greatest base is concerned, the more they will make an alteration.
18. And it is common to these things to affirm that philosophers' opposition, which they say, if the heavens, and the stars, and the sea, and the mountains, and all the beasts, and all the bodies, should become, if God willed, half less, it would be that nothing should be diminished unto us. I will learn that great, petiole, long, brieve, high, low, wide, narrow, clear, dark, bright, gloomy, and all such a thing, as why it may be and not be joined to things, but those philosophers call them damnable, are so made that all their knowledge is done by compassion. Virgil Aeneas said, Seeing himself on all men's shoulders, what a place near Polyphemus would seem to be a little one. Niso and Eurialo were beautiful, as compared to Ganymede the rat by the idiots, perhaps they seemed sozzi. Near the Hispanians many maidens appear to be white, which after the Germans would be sindle and brown. The ivory and silver are white, which places near the swan or the snow would appear pale. For this reason, in painting they appear to be splendid things where there is a good proportion of white to black, similar to that in things from bright to shady. Thus these things are all known by compassion. In itself this force holds this compassion, which immediately shows in things what is more, what is less or what is equal. Waves are said to be great that which is greater than this petiole, and great that which is greater than this great; lucid that which is clearer than this dark, very lucid that which is clearer than this clear. And make a compassionate first to the very known things. And where to us is man among all things most known, perhaps Protagoras, saying that man was the manner and measure of all things, meant that all the damned of things, compared among the damned of man, should know one another. This that I say belongs to give to understand that, how well the petioles bodies are painted in painting, these will seem large and petioles in comparison with which man is painted there. And it seems to me that Timantes, a painter among other antiques, enjoyed this power of comparison, who in a small tablet, painting a giant adorned Cyclops, made some idiotic satyrs there, who measured his big finger to him, so that comparing the one who lies to these satyrs seems very large.
19. Even here we said everything that belongs to the power of seeing, and how much it belongs to intersegation. But then that not only is it good to know what intersegation is, but it is also good for the painter to know how to intersegate, which is what we will say. Here alone, after having left the other things behind, I will say what I do when I paint. Principle, where I must paint, I write a quadrangle of right angles as large as I want, and which I believe to be an open window from where I aim for what will be painted here; and here let me tell you how much I like big men in my painting; And I divide the length of this man into three parts, each of which is proportional to me to that measure is called an arm, but that in proportion to an ordinary man it is seen to be almost three arms; and with these arms I mark the line below which lies in the quadrangle in as many parts as I receive it; and it is this same line proportional to that last quantity as was crossed before me. Then within this quadrangle, where I have it, one point which occupies that place where the centric rocket wounds, and for this reason I call the centric point. It will be well to place this high point from the line that lies below in the quadrangle no longer that it is the height of the man as I have there to paint, but that thus and he who sees and the painted things seen appear to be the same in his plane. Therefore, when I place the central point, as I said, I mark straight lines from it to each division in the line of the quadrangle that lies there, what lines you mark to me show how, almost even infinitely, each transverse quantity follows altering itself. Here would be some who would mark a transverse line equedistant from the line lying in the quadrangle, and that distance, as now merged between these two lines, would divide them into three parts; and the two, at such a distance above the line, would be another line, and thus to this one would be another and then another, always measuring that space divided into three, which was between the first and the second, always one part would advance the space between the second and the third; and thus following would make that space always be superposed, as mathematicians say, to the following ones. The mathematicians would perhaps do so, and it would be a good thing for them to follow the good way to paint, but I say they would be wrong; but if they put the first line at random, although the others follow it rightly, they do not know where it is at the pinnacle of the visual pyramid, so that they make mistakes in painting that are not petioles. Add to this how vicious their reason is, where the central point is higher or lower than the length of the man painting. And know what nothing painted will ever seem equal to the true, where there is no distance to see them. But of this reason, if we ever write of those demonstrations which, made by us, our friends, seeing them and marvelling at them, called miracles. Therein what I have said so far is very much to be believed. So let us return to our purpose.
20. So I found this excellent way in all things following what I said, placing the point centrally, drawing lines to the divisions of the lying quadrangle line. But in the transverse quantities, as one followed the other so I know. I take a petiole space in which I write a straight line, and this I divide into a similar part in which I divide the line lying in the quadrangle. Then I place a high point on top of this line when I place the high central point from the line in the quadrangle, and from this point I draw lines at each division marked in that first line. Then I make up how far I want distance from the eye to the painting, and there I mark, as mathematicians say, a perpendicular line by cutting any new line. I say perpendicular line that straight line, which by cutting another straight line makes right angles here and there. This so perpendicular line where on the other will be cut, so will give me the succession of all the transverse quantities. And in this way I am described all is paraleli, that is to say, the square arms of the floor in the painting, as what is described straight to me will be a clue if one and the same straight line continues to be the diameter of several quadrangles described to the painting. The mathematicians say the diameter of a quadrangle is that straight line from one corner to another corner, which divides the quadrangle into two parts so that only one quadrangle is two triangles. Having done this, I describe in the quadrangle of the painting through a straight line from the inferior equedistant, which from one side to the other passing super 'l centric point divides the quadrangle. This line holds to me a term such that no amount of sight, no higher than the eye that sees, can override it. And this, because it passes through the centric point, is called the centric line. From here intervenes that the painted men placed in the last square arm of the painting are smaller than the others. What such a thing to be, nature itself demonstrates to us. We see the heads of men almost all at a quantity, but the feet of the most distant almost correspond to the knees of the most near.
21. But this reason for dividing the floor belongs to that part which we shall call the composition. And they are such that I doubt so for the novelty of the matera, and so etiam for this brevity of our commentary, it will not be much understood by those who will read. And how difficult it is to see in the works of the antiques sculptors and painters. Perhaps because it was obscure, they were ascosed and unknown. As soon as you see any old-fashioned story that's readily composed...
22. From me up to here, useful things are said, but they are brimming and, as I estimate, not in all obscure. But well I mean what serene things, where in them I can acquire no lauds of eloquence, there still those who do not understand them at first sight, this one will hardly ever learn them. But to the subtle wits and deeds of painting, these things of ours, in whatever way they are said, will be easy and beautiful; and to those who are coarse and by nature little given to these most noble arts, will be these things, though by very eloquent writing, ungrateful. Perhaps because they are not eloquently written, they will be read with annoyance. But I beg your pardon, if where I wanted to be understood in the first place, I had regard to make our saying clear, much more than ornate. What follows, I think, will be less tedious to the reader.
23. We said of triangles, and of the pyramid, and of intercession, as much as seemed to be said; what things, as is my custom, I have of my friends, which I have been prolix with certain aeometrical demonstrations, which in these comentaries, for brevity, it seemed to me to let go. Here I only recounted the first hijackings of art, and for this reason I call them hijackings, which the uneducated painters were given the first fundamentals to paint well. But they are so made that those who know them well, this one as well as the wits, so to know the definition of painting will understand how much it benefits them. Nor is it he who doubts how good any painter will be, who does not mean much whatever he tries to do. Indarno pulls the bow where you don't have to direct the lightning. And I want you to be persuaded that only he who will be an excellent craftsman, who will have learned to know the edges of the surface and all its qualities. So contrary will never be a good craftsman who will not be diligent to know what we have so far said.
24. These intersections and surface were necessary. The painter was then established in such a way that he could follow with his hand as much as he could with his ingenuity. 25. But because perhaps this learning to young people may be a laborious task, it seems to me here to demonstrate how unworthy painting is to consume all our works and studies. It holds within itself the divine power of painting not only what is said of friendship, which makes men absent be present, but more so the dead after many centuries are almost alive, such that with much admiration of the creator and with much voluptuousness they recognize themselves. Says Plutarch, Cassander one of Allessander's captains, because he saw the image of Allessander king trembled with his whole body; Agesilao Lacedemonius never allowed anyone to paint or isculpisse: he did not like his own form, that he fled to be known by those who came after him. And so certainly the face of one who has already died, for painting lives a long life. And that painting may keep expressed the idols that are worshipped by the people, this certainly was always a great gift to mortals, but that painting very much in this way benefits that piety for which we are joined to the idols, together and to keep our souls full of religion. They say that Phidias made in Ilia a God Jupiter, the beauty of which not a little confirmed the now taken religion. And as for the delights of the most honest soul, and the beauty of things, it may well be, and before this, that you will give me something so precious, which is not for the painting much more dear and much more gracious made. Ivory, gems and similar dear things by the painter's hand become more precious; and even gold worked with the art of painting contrasts with much more gold. In fact, lead itself, a metal made by Phidias or Prassiteles, will be more precious than silver. Zeusis the painter began to donate his things, which, as he said, could not be bought; nor did he esteem himself to be able to come up with an act of merit such as satisfying those who, pretending, painting animals, offered themselves almost as if they were God.
26. And it is in itself that painting holds these praises, that any master painter will see his works adored, and will feel himself almost judged another God. And who doubts herein that he is a master of painting, or that he is not an ornament to all things? He took the architect, if I am not mistaken, from the painter the architraves, the bases, the capitals, the columns, the frontispieces and the like; and with the rule and art of the painter all the blacksmiths, isculturers, every workshop and every art stands; nor perhaps you will find any art that is not vile, which does not look at painting, so that whatever beauty you find in things, that can be said to be born of painting. But I used to say among my friends, according to the judgment of poets, that Narcissus, converted into a flower, was the inventor of painting; for where painting is the flower of all art, there the whole story of Narcissus comes to mind. What would you say to be a painter other than to abrade with art that surface of the fountain there? Quintilian said that it is ancient painters who circumscribe the shadows to the sun, and so then found this art grown. I am who a certain Philocles of Egypt say, and I know not which other Cleante was of this art among the first inventors. The Egyptians affirm among themselves well years if milia be the painting was in use before it was moved to Greece. Of Greece they say our translates the painting after the victories of Marcellus had of Sicily. But here it is not much required to know which first were the inventors of art or painters, then that not as Pliny recites stories, but again we fabricate an art of painting, of which at this age, as I see, nothing is written, although they say that Euphrorus hismius wrote I do not know what measurements and colors, and say that Antigonus and Senocrates put in letters I do not know what paintings, and say that Appelle wrote to Perseus de Painting. Raconta Laerzio Diogenes that Demetrius made commentaries on painting. And so I esteem, when all the other good arts were from our greatest acomandate to the letters, with those together from our Latin writers was not neglected painting, since our ancient Tuscans were masters in Italy in painting experts.
27. Giudica Trimegisto, a very old writer, who together with religion was born painting and sculpture. But who here can deny that in all things public and private, profane and religious, painting has taken all the very honest parts, such that it seems to me that nothing so much has always been esteemed by mortals? I am counting on the unbelievable merits of painted plates. Aristide the Theban sold only one painting talents a hundred; and they say that Rhodes was not burned by Demetrius the king, where he feared that a panel of Protogenes would not perish. We can therefore here affirm that the city of Rhodes was bought back by the enemies with only one painting. Pliny collected many things similarly, for which you will know the good painters have always been open to all in great honour, so much so that many very noble citizens, philosophers, still and not a few kings, not only of painted things, but and of his hand painted them much delight. Lucio Manilio, a Roman citizen, and Fabio, a very noble man, were painters. Turpilio, Roman knight, painted in Verona. Sitedio, a man who was a praetor and proconsul, bought painting his name. Pacuvio tragic poet, nephew to Ennio poet, painted Hercules in Roman forum. Socrates, Plato, Metrodorus, Pyrrhus were known in painting. Nerone, Valentiniano and Alessandro Severo Imperadori were very studied in painting. But it would be a long time here to say how many princes and kings liked painting. And it still does not seem to me to account for all the turmoil of the antiques painters, such as how great it was to see him here that in Demetrio Falerio, son of Fanostrato, there were between four hundred and three hundred and sixty statues, part on horseback, part on chariots, completed. And in this land where there were so many sculptors, do you think they were not even painters? It is certain that these arts are sisters-in-law and by the same ingenuity nurtured, painting together with sculpture. But I have always been interested in the painter's genius, because he works in something more difficult. Let's get back to our business.
28. It was a great number of sculptors in those times and of painters, when the precepts and the plebeians and the learned and the induced dabbled in painting, and when among the first preys of the provinces there were painted plates and images. And he tried from time to time that Paolo Emilio and not a few other Roman citizens among the good arts to good and blessed to live to the sons taught painting; what a very good custom of the Greeks was observed. They wanted their children well bred together with geometry and music to learn to paint. But it was yet the honour of women to know how to paint. Marzia, Varro's daughter, is praised afterwards of the writers who knew how to paint. And it was in so much praise and honour to the Greeks to open painting, that they made edict and law not to the servants licit to learn painting. They certainly did well, but the art of painting was always to the liberal geniuses and to the noble souls, most dignified. And how much I, of course, esteem so much an excellent sign of a perfect genius to be in those who greatly enjoy painting; though it intervenes that such an art is as grateful to the learned as it is to the induced, what little happens in which other art is art, and what pleasure to the experts moves those who are imperishable. Nor will you often find those who do not wish to be well-educated in painting. But nature itself seems to delight in painting, which we see as in the cracks of marble often paints hypocentaurs and more faces of bearded kings and crinites. They say that in one of Pyrrhus' gems was painted by nature all nine separate Muses with his sign. It is a fact that there is no art in which every age of experts and emperors so willingly weary themselves to learn and practise it. Let me confess myself. If I ever for my own pleasure give myself to paint, - which is not uncommon when I am lazy in my other major chores - I am so voluptuously at work that I often marvel at having spent three or four hours there.
29. So to whomever gives voluptuousness to this art, and praise, riches, and perpetual fame to whomever is master of it. What things we have said, if painting is a very good and antiquated ornament of things, are so great and ancient, it is a damnation to free men, grateful to the learned and the induced, and a great comfort to young scholars, who give a great deal of comfort to the work of painting. And then I am grateful to those who are scholars of painting to learn this art. Both to those who first seek to glory in painting this great care to acquire fame and name, which you see the antiqui have acted. And it would be good to remind you that avarice was always an enemy of virtue. It is rare that any soul should acquire a name that is given to gain. I saw many in the first flower of learning, who immediately fell to gain, and then acquired neither riches nor praise, as if they had increased his genius with study, it would have been easy to gain much praise, and there they acquired much wealth and pleasure. But of these much so far let it be said. Let us return to our purpose.
30. Divided the painting into three parts, what division we lend by nature. And where painting studies re-presenting things seen, we notice how things are seen. Principle, seeing what, let us say this being what occupies a place. Here the painter, describing this space, will say this his guiding a hem with line being circumscribed. At the same time, we know that the more surface of the body we see together, the more surface of the body we see agree; and here the creator, marking them in his places, will say make composition. Last, more distinctly, we discern the colours and qualities of the surface, which we re-present them, for every difference is born of enlightenment, precisely we can call it reception of enlightenment.
31. In addition, painting is accomplished by circumscription, composition, and receiving of enlightenment. Followed by a very brief description of it. First we will say of circumscription. Circumscription will be that which describes the surrounding of the hem in painting. In this they say Parrasius, the painter who, as Xenophon says below, talked with Socrates, had been a great expert and had these lines. So I say in this circumscription that it is very necessary to observe that she is made of very thin lines, almost such that they can be seen, in which alone the painter Appelles himself is to be exercised and contend with Protogenes; but that the circumscription is nothing more than the drawing of the hem, where it is made with too apparent a line, it will not prove to be a surface margin but a crack, and I would like nothing to go on circumscribing that only the going of the hem; in what I say must be very much exercised. No composition and no receiving of enlightenment can be praised where there is no good circumscription added; and it is not uncommon to see only a good circumscription, that is, a good design for itself to be very grateful. Here we give the main work, to which, if we wish to keep it well, nothing can be found, as I estimate, more acommodate than that veil, which I among my friends call intersegation. That is so. He is a very thin veil, a rare fabric, dyed in which you like the colour, distinct with thicker threads than you like paralels, which veil I place between the eye and the seen thing, such that the visual pyramid penetrates through the rarity of the veil. Hand this veil to you, certainly not a petty comfort: first, that always presents you with the same surface not moved, where you, after certain terms, immediately depict the true cusp of the pyramid, something that would be difficult without interception; and you know how impossible it is to counterfeit what I do not continue to serve the same presence. From here, therefore, it is easier to portray painted things than sculpted things. And you know how much, having changed the distance and changed the position of the center, you see much altered. So the veil will give you, what I said, no little use where always to see it will be the same thing. The other will be usefulness that you can easily make up the terms of the hems and surfaces. Where in this paralel you will see the forehead, in that and the nose, in another the cheeks, in that below the chin, and so every thing distinct in its places, so you in the table or on the wall see divided into such paralels, every thing to point you will set. Last to you the veil will give you much help to learn to paint, when you will see in the veil things retarded and detected, for which things much you will be able and with judgment and experience to prove how much to you is our most useful veil.
32. Neither will I here hear those who say that they do not agree with the painter to use these things, what good they bring much help to good painting, even if they are so done that without them you will be able to do nothing. I don't believe that the painter requires infinite effort, but it is good to expect him to paint as a great pair of paintings that are taken over and similar to those he portrays himself; what I don't mean without the help of the veil no one can ever do. To whomever they use this intercision, that is, the veil, as I said. And where it pleases them to try her ingenuity without a veil, let them also notice at first the terms of the things draining from the veil, or follow them so that they always imagine a line across it from another perpendicular one to be sawed off, where that term has been laid down. But because it is not uncommon for inexperienced painters to see the edges of surfaces not known, doubtful and uncertain, as in the faces of men, where they do not discern what means is between 'the forehead and temples, so they teach them how they can know. This good shows us nature. We see in the surface planes that each one shows itself to us with its lines, lumens and shadows; so again the hopeful and concave surface we see almost divided into many almost square surfaces with different patches of lumens and shadows. Therefore, each part, with its clarity divided by that which is obscure, we want to have for more surface. But if the same surface begins to be shaded little by little, and gradually comes into continuous light, then what is the medium between them can be seen with a very fine line, so that there is the reason for the less doubtful colouring.
33. It remains to be said of the circumscription which is no small part of the composition. For this reason it is worth knowing that it is in composition painting. I say composition is that reason for painting, for which the parts are composed in the painted work. A great work of the painter will be the historia: part of the historia are the bodies: part of the bodies are the members: part of the members are the surfaces. And where the circumscription is nothing more than a certain reason to mark the edge of the surface, then that of the surface there be no pigeon-like surface like that of animals, no large surface like that of buildings and giants, only the precepts so far said, as they demonstrate how much we learn with the veil, will be enough of the circumscription. To the greater surfaces we must find new reasons. But we must remember what we have said above, and what we have said of the surfaces, and of the rockets, and of the pyramid, and of the intersection, and of the paralels of the floor, and of the centric point and line. In the floor written with its lines and paralels are to be built walls and similar surfaces as we called them lying. Here, then, I will say very briefly what I do. Principle, I'll start with the fundamentals. I place the width and length of the walls and its paralels, in which description I follow nature, in which I see that of no square body, which has right angles, I can suddenly see around more than two faces joined together. Thus I observe this by describing the foundations of the walls; and always in the first place I begin from the closest surface, maximal from those which are equally distant from the intersegation. I put the others in front of them, describing their latitude and longitude in the paraleles of the floor, so that as many as I want to occupy arms, I take paralels. And to find the middle of each paralelo truovo where the one and the other diametre saws together, and so how much I want the fundamentals I describe. Then the height I follow with not very difficult order. I know the height of the wall in itself to keep this proportion, how much it is from the place where it rises on the floor to the centric line, with that same line upwards. Waves if you want this quantity from the floor even to the centric line to be the height of a man, then these arms will be three. If you want your wall to be twelve arms, you will go three times as high up as it is from the centric line even to that place on the floor. With these reasons we can draw all the surfaces at an angle.
34. Stay and tell us how you draw the circles. I draw the circles of the angulars; and this is how I do it. I draw a quadrangle with right angles, and I divide the sides of this quadrangle into parts similar to those parts into which I divide the light line in the first quadrangle of the painting; and here from each point to its opositous point I draw lines, and thus remains the quadrangle divided into many petioles. Here I write a circle as large as I want, so that the lines of the square petioles and the line of the circle together with one another will be cut, and I note all the points of these cuts, as places mark nor paralels of the floor in my painting. But because it would be extreme and almost infinite fatigue with new minor paralels to divide the circle into many places, and so with a great number of points to follow by continuing the circle, that is why, when I noticed eight or more cuts, I ingeniously sign my circle in the painting guiding the line from end to end. Perhaps it would be more brieve via corlo in the shade? Certainly yes, where the body which made shadow was in half a place with its reason in its place. We said, therefore, how with the help of the paralels the great acanthoned and round surfaces should be drawn. When the circumscription, that is to say, the manner of drawing, is finished, remain to tell us of the composition. Let us repent that it is composition.
35. Composition is that reason for painting with which the parts of things seen are placed together in painting. The painter's great work is not a collosso, but an historia. Greater praise of ingenuity makes the historia that whatever is collossus. Part of the history are the bodies, part of the bodies the members, part of the members the surface. The first parts of the painter are the surfaces. Of the composition of the surface is born that grace nor bodies as they say beauty. I saw a face, which has its surface, some large and some small, here well surveyed, and here well draped, similar to the face of the old ladies, this being in very ugly aspect. But those faces will have their surfaces joined together in such a way that they will cast shadows and pleasant and suave lights, nor will I combine any of the raised chants, and we shall certainly say that they are shapely and delicate faces. In this composition of surface much is sought for the grace and beauty of things, which, to those who wish to follow it, seems to me to be no more suitable and more certain way than from nature, bearing in mind how nature, the marvellous creator of things, has well composed bodies in the surface. To which to imitate it, it is very convenient to have continued thoughts and cares for it, together, and to dabble much in our own, as we said above, veil. And when we want to put into action what we understand by nature, first we always notice the terms where we draw our lines to a certain place.
36. Up to this point, the composition of the surface. Followed by members. First, make sure that all the members agree well. They will agree when it is of greatness and offering, and of spice and colour and other such things as will correspond to a beauty: for if it were made into a painting the very large head and the small chest, the wide hand and the inflated foot, the swollen body, this composition would certainly be ugly to see it. Therefore let us be sure to be right about the size of the members, in which commensuration it shall be good to first allocate each bone of the animal, and then to add its muscles, and then to clothe it all with its flesh. But here it shall be he that contrasts with me what I said above, that nothing belongs to the painter of the things which he does not see. These things are well ramented, but as if to dress a man, first we draw him naked, then we surround him with clothes, so that when we paint the nude, we first dream of his bones and muscles, which we then cover with his flesh, so that it is not difficult to understand where underneath each limb is. And then that nature has brought us into the midst of the measures, where it is no small use to recognize them from nature, there to whomever the painters' scholars will be asked to make this effort, so as to keep in mind what they are asked to do by nature, as much as to recognize them will be his study and work. It is a rational thing, that one should take a good measure of an animant, and take one of his members with whom the others measure themselves. Vitruvius the architect measured the length of the man with his feet. It seems to me what is more worthy of the other limbs to refer to the head, although I have set the mind almost common in all men that the foot is as long as from the chin to the top of the head.
37. Thus, when one member is taken, every other member shall be joined so that none of them is not convenient to the others in length and width. Then let it be proved that each member follow what is done therein, to his office. It is well for one who runs no less to throw his hands than his feet; but I want a philosopher, while he who speaks, to show much more modesty than the art of screening. I praise a story in Rome in which Meleager dead, carried, aggravates those who carry the weight, and in itself seems in each of its members well dead everything hangs, hands, finger and head; everything falls languid; what is given to you to express a dead body, what is certain is very difficult, but that in a body who knows how to fake each idle member, will be excellent creator. So in every painting it is to be observed that each member does his or her work, that no one for the least article remains idle. And the limbs of the dead unto the dead nails. Of the living be every little living part. I said, Let the body live when it has a certain movement in it: I said death, where the members can no longer carry the officies of life, that is to say, movement and feeling. Therefore the painter, wanting to express life in things, will do all his part in motion; but in each motion he will keep venusty and grace. Very grateful are the movements and very lively those which move upwards towards the air. We said to the composition of the members that they should be certain spices: and it would be absurd if the hands of Helen or Ephimenia were old and peasant, or if Nestor's chest was tender and neck dilated, or if Ganymede's forehead was frizzy, or the thighs of a porter, or Milon, among others, was thin and thin-skinned. And again in that figure, in which he had a fresh and lactose-filled face, it would be filthy to put his arms and hands dry for thinness. So whoever painted Acamenides, found by Aeneas on that island with that face as Virgil describes him, would be a mocking painter if he did not follow the other members to such a degree of physicality. Therefore so all the limbs lead to a spice. And I still want the limbs to correspond to a colour, but if his face was rosy, white and veined, he would not have the breast and the other limbs ugly and greasy.
38. Therefore in the composition of the members we must follow what I said about size, office, spices and colours. And then open all things, afterwards, to a dignity. It would be unbecoming to dress Venus or Minerva with a saccomannous capper: it would be similar to dress Mars or Jupiter with a female gown. They took care of the anti-painters here, painting Castor and Poluce, to make them look like brothers, but in one of them there appeared a sponge-like nature, in the other an agility. They still did that Vulcan, under his robe, seemed to be his vice of zopicare, so much was in their study to express officiousness, spices and dignity to whatever they painted.
39. Followed by the composition of bodies, in which every praise and ingenuity of the painter consists. To which certain things said in the composition of the members here belong. They are convinced that the bodies together in history are combined with greatness and effort. Whoever painted centaurs would bother at dinner, it would be something that would be innately uproarious if some load of wine were to be worshipped. And it would be a vice if in the same distance the one was more than the other greater, or if there were equals to the horses, or if, what I often see, there was some man in the building almost as if in a casket inked, where just sitting there is settled. And so all the bodies of his greatness and his office will be attuned to what is done there in history.
40. It will be the story, whatever you may praise and marvel at, such that with its pleasures it will be so adorned and grateful, that it will keep with delight and movement of mind whatever duct or induced to aim it. What first gives voluptuousness in history comes from the copy and variety of things. Just as in food and music the novelty and abundance always pleases as much as it is different from the ancient and usual things, so the soul delights in every copy and variety. That's why in painting, copy and variety are liked. I will tell that history to be very copious in which its places are allowed old, young, children, women, maidens, young boys, chickens, chickens, cattinis, birds, horses, sheep, buildings, provinces, and all similar things: and I will praise any copy that belongs to that history. And he intervenes, where he who looks above, looking back at all things, there the copy of the painter acquires much grace. But I would like this copy to be adorned with a certain variety, still moderate and grave in dignity and verecundia. I blame those painters who, where they want a copious opinion, want nothing lax and vacuous, there not composition, but dissolute confusion disseminate; therefore history does not seem to do anything worthy, but is in tumult and developed. And perhaps those who will much seek dignity in their history will like solitude. He will be the prey to the famine of tender words of majesty, where they make his precepts understood. Thus in history a certain competent number of bodies makes not little dignity. I am sorry for loneliness in history, but neither does laudo copy any of it without dignity. But in every story the variety was always iocund, and in the first one was always grateful for that painting in which the bodies with their very dissimilar poses are placed. There I stand a few uprights and show the whole face, hands up and fingers happy, standing still on one foot. To the others, let their faces be upside down, their arms remissive, their feet together. And so let each one be his act and flex his limbs: others sit down, others sit on one knee, others lie down. And if it be so, let some be naked, and some be naked, and some be clothed, but let them always be used to shame and modesty. The ugly parts of the body, and the others like them, which are of little grace, should be covered with cloth, with some foliage, or with the hand. They painted the image of Antigonus only on that part of the face where the eye was not missing. And they say that at Pericles he was his long and ugly head, and for this reason by painters and sculptors, not like the others, he was with his head naked, but with his head armed portrayed. And says Plutarch the painters, painting the kings, if it was some vice in them, not wanting to be unnoticed, but as much as they could, serving the similarity, they amended it. So I wish in every story to use what I said modesty and verecundia, and thus to strive that in no one gesture or posture is the same as in the other.
41. Then will the historia move the soul when the men painted there much will give it its own movement of soul. She intervenes from nature, as nothing more than a rapacious thing like her, that We weep with those who weep, and laugh with those who laugh, and grieve with those who grieve. But these movements of the soul are known from the movements of the body. And we see how a saddened one is, because the extrigneous care and the thought besieges him, they are with his forces and feelings almost dumbfounded, holding themselves slow and lazy in his palid and unbearable limbs. You will see who is melancholy, his forehead pressed, his cervix languid, his every member almost torn and neglected falls. True, to those who are irate, because anger incites the soul, but swollen with anger in the eyes and face, and set ablaze with colour, and every one of its members, as daring as fury, throws itself. To the happy and joyful men are the free movements and with certain grateful inflections. They say that Theban Aristide equals to Appelle very much knows these movements, which I am sure and we will know when we will study and diligence to know them.
42. So it is convenient for painters to know all the movements of the body, what good they will learn from nature, it is good that it is difficult to imitate the many movements of the soul. And who would ever believe, if not trying, to be so difficult, wanting to paint a face that laughs, to disgust at not doing it rather weeping than happy? And yet who could without great study express faces in which the mouth, chin, eyes, cheeks, forehead, eyelashes, all to one laugh or cry agree? That is why it is very convenient to learn them from nature, and always follow things that are very ready and that are so much more important to think about than the one who looks at them that he does not see. But that we count some things of these movements, which part we made with our ingenuity, part we learned from nature. In the first place all the bodies must be moved to that which the story is ordered. And I like it in history who admonishes and teaches us what is done there, or calls with the hand to see, or with a worrying face and troubled eyes threatens that no one will go to them, or shows some danger or marvelous thing there, or invites you to cry with them together or to laugh. And so whatever the paintings between them or you do, everything belongs to adorn or teach you history. Praise the Timantes of Cyprius in that table in which he won Colocentrium, who in the imitation of Ephimenia, having pretended to be the saddest Calcante, the saddest Ulysses, and in Menelaus then had consumed all his art to show him much adored, not having in what way to show the sadness of his father, he wore a cloth on his head, and so there was thought what was not seen his acerbic meritoriousness. He praised the ship painted in Rome, in which our Tuscan painter Giotto placed eleven disciples, all moved with fear when he saw one of his companions walking over the water, each with his own face and gesture expressing a certain sign of his troubled soul, so that in each of them were his different movements and states. But it pleases me very briefly to pass all this place of movements.
43. These are certain movements of the soul called affection, such as anger, pain, joy and fear, desire and the like. Others are movements of bodies. The bodies are moved in many ways, growing, discreeting, infirm, healing, and changing from place to place. But we painters, who want with the movements of the limbs to show the movements of the soul, only report that movement by changing the place. Whatever moves from place can do seven ways: up, one; down, the other; to the right, the third; to the left, the fourth; there, moving from here, or from there, coming here; the seventh, going around. These are all movements which I desire to be in painting. Let there be some bodies, some of which are towards us, and some of which are here and there, and of one and the same part show themselves to the beholder, and some of which are high and some of which are low. But because sometimes in these movements those who pass all reason are moved, I like here of posaries and movements to tell some things which I have gathered from nature, that we may well understand how moderation should be used. And let me tell you how man, in all his poses, is under his whole body to support his head, one of the most serious members of the body, and when he sits in one foot, his foot is always at right angles under his head, almost as the base of a column; and when he sits straight, his face is almost always where the foot is directed. The movements of the head are almost always such that underneath them they have some part of the body to support it, so much so that the weight of the head is great; certainly in the opposite direction, almost like the style of a scale, it stretches a member that corresponds to the weight of the head. And let us see that whoever on the outstretched arm supports a weight by stopping the foot almost like a scale needle, the whole other part of the body contrasts to counterbalance the weight. It seems to me again, when you lift up your head, that no one turns his face up unless he sees the sky in the middle, and no one turns his face to the side unless his chin touches his shoulder; in that part of the body where you swan, almost never so much that the tip of your shoulder is perpendicular to the war. The movements of your legs and arms are very free, but I would not want them to cover any worthy and honest part of your body. And I see from nature almost never the hands rise above the head, nor the elbow above the shoulder, nor above the knee the foot, nor between one foot and another being more space than one foot. And I place my mind by stretching out one hand, that even at the foot all that part of the body follows it so that the heel of the foot itself rises from the floor.
44. Such are many things a diligent creator by himself will notice; and perhaps what I have said so many things are in readiness that it seems superfluous to recite. But because I see not a few in those wanderings, it seems to me not to silence them. Those who express too daring movements, and in the same figure making that suddenly one sees the chest and kidneys, which is impossible and not condictive, believe they are praised, because they hear those images very much alive that seem to throw each member of them, and for this reason in their figures they make fencers and histrionics without any dignity of painting, so that not only are they without grace and sweetness, but even more they show the ingenuity of the maker too fervent and furious. And it is convient to paint to have gentle and grateful movements, convenient to that which is done there. Let the virgins have airy movements and poses, full of simplicity, in which, rather, it is sweetness of quietness and gaiety, well that Homer, as Zeosis followed, liked the form made even in the females. Let us be the movements to the light, iocund, little garzons, with a certain demostration of great soul and good strength. Both in the man movements with more firmness adorned with beautiful poses and artifice. Let their old movements and poses be torn up: not only up two feet, but still support themselves on the hands. And so to each one with dignity let his movements of the body express whatsoever movement of the soul; and to the great perturbation of the soul, similarly great movements of the limbs. And this reason for the common movements can be observed in all animants. Already it is not possible for an ox ploughman to give such movements as you would give to Bucefalas, Alexander's most gallant horse. Perhaps if I were to do Io, which was spoken in the cow, running with the tail standing upright, with the neck straight, with the feet raised, would be apt to paint.
45. It is enough to have speech the movement of the animants. Now, then, that the non-animate things still move in all those ways which we said above, and of these we shall say. They delight in the hair, in the hair, in the branches, in the branches, in the foliage, and in the clothes, to see some movement. As sure as I like it in my hair to see which I said seven movements: I turn in one turn, almost as if I wanted to anoint myself, and sway in the air like flames; part like a snake weaving among the others, part growing in here and part in there; so the branches now upwards twist, now downwards, now outwards, now inwards, part twisting like ropes. Let the folds be again made, and let the folds be born as the trunk of the tree its branches. In this, then follow all the movements so that no part of the cloth is without vacuous movement. But let them be, as often as I remember, the moderate and gentle movements, as tough as they bring grace to those who aim at them, than marvel of fatigue. But where we want the cloth to move in this way, the cloths of his movements, the serious and continuous falling to the ground, so it will be well in the painting to put the face of the sapphire or austere wind blowing through the clouds, so that the cloths will blow; and here will come to that grace that the bodies on this side beaten by the wind, under the cloths in large part will show the nude, on the other side the cloths thrown by the gentle wind will fly through the air. And in this breeze look at the painter not to inspire any cloth against the wind; and thus all observe what we said about the movements of animals and things not animated. Again with diligence have we observed how diligently we have observed the composition of the surfaces, of the members and of the bodies.
46. It remains to be said of receiving enlightenment. In the above, we showed how much strength the lamps have in varying colours, because we taught how instantiating the same colour, according to the lamp and the shadow that receives it, alters its view: and we said that 'white and black express to the painter the shadow and the gleam, all the other colours be to the painter as matter to which he added more or less shadow or light. So, leaving aside the other things, the only thing left to say here is how the painter uses his black and white. They say that the antiqui painters Polignoto and Timante used only four colours, and Aglaofon marveled at painting in only one simple colour, almost as little as they estimated a great number of colours, if those excellent painters had elected the few, and to a copious creator they believe the whole multitude of colours. Certainly I affirm that to the grace and praise of painting the copy and variety of colours is very useful. But I want them to esteem the learned, that the whole sum of industry and art is in knowing how to use black and white, and in well knowing how to use these two conviens put all study and diligence. But that the lamp and the shadow give an opinion on the things revealed, so black and white gives the painted things an opinion revealed, and gives that praise which was given to the Athenian painter Nitia. They say that Zeusis, a very old and very famous painter, was almost the prince of others in knowing the power of light and shadow: little was given to others such praise. But I will almost never esteem a half-woman painter who does not well mean that every light and shadow is strong in every surface. I with learned and uneducated men will praise those faces, which, as they are sculpted, shall appear out of the table; and I will blame those faces in which I see no art but perhaps in drawing. I would a good design to a good composition were well coloured. So let them at first study about the lamps and about the shadows, and set their minds as to how that surface is clearer than the other in which the flares of the lamp are wounded, and how, where the strength of the lamp is lacking, that same colour becomes fussy. And let them note that always against the lamp on the other side is the shadow, such that in body no one will be a part of the light, to which no other part is dark. But as for imitating the gleam with white and the shadow with black, I admonish much study to know distinct surfaces, how much each one is covered with light or shadow. This much you will understand from nature; and when you know them well, there with much avarice, where you need them, you will begin to place white there, and immediately opposite where you need black, but with this balancing of white and black you can see how much things are raised. And so also with avarice little by little you will follow, growing whiter and blacker and blacker as much as you need. And you will be a good judge of the mirror for this, nor do I know how well painted things match very well in the mirror grace: a marvelous thing as every vice of painting manifests itself unlike in the mirror. Let the things taken from nature amend themselves in the mirror.
47. Here we tell things we learned from nature. Let us remember that on the flat surface in all its places lies the uniform colour; on the hollow and hopeful surfaces it takes the colour variation, but here it is clear, there obscure, in another place half colour. This alteration of colour deceives the foolish painters, such as if, as we said, they had drawn the edges of the surface well, they would feel easy to place the lamps there. So they would do: first almost like a very light dew to the very edge, they would cover the surface of whatever white or black was needed; then over this one another, and then another; and so little by little they would do that where there was more light, there more white to come back, lacking the light, the white would be lost almost in smoke. And similarly contrary they would make black. But I never made any surface so white that I could not yet make it whiter. If I were well dressed in very candid clothes, it would be better to stop much lower than the last whiteness. The painter would find nothing but white to show the last lustre of a very strong sword, and only black to show the last darkness of the night. And I saw strength in well-composing white next to black, which vases for this paiano of silver, gold and glass, and seem painted to shine. For this much is blamed each painter who without much way uses white or black. It would be a pleasure for me if white could be sold more than the precious gems dear to the painters. It would certainly be useful if black and white were to be made of those very large pearls that Cleopatra destroyed in vinegar, because they would be as stingy as they must be, and they would be more sweet and charming works. Nor can it be said how much of them the painter should be given to the manor. And if even in distributing them they sin, the less shall he who uses much black be taken back, than he who does not well spread white. From one day to the next nature comes to hate the horrid and obscure things; and the more you learn, the more your hand is diluted in a vehement grace. Surely by nature we love things open and clear. The more the way is closed, the easier it is to sin.
48. We will say of black and white, we will say of the other colours, not like Vitruvius the architect in what place each excellent and well proven colour is born; but we will say in what way the well triviated colours are used in painting. They say that Euphranor, a very old painter, wrote, I do not know which of the colours is used today. We true, who, if it ever was written by others, have gotten this art out of the earth, or if it never was written, we have made it heaven; let us follow what we have done with our wits. I would like to see in painting all the genres and each of its spices with much pleasure and grace to admire it. There will be grace there when the one colour opens, much will be different from the other; that if you paint Diana lead the choir, let it be to this nymph green cloths, to the white one, to the other rose-coloured, to the other cross, and thus to each different colour, so that always the light colours are different from the dark ones. It shall be for this comparison there the beauty of the paler and more graceful colours. And let there be a certain friendship of the colours, that one to the other give them dignity and grace. The rosy colour near the green and the cilestro are given together honour and sight. And the colour white, not only after the ash tree, and after the cross, but almost at all places, is joyful. The dark colours are among the light ones without any dignity, and so the light ones are among the dark ones. So then, as I said, the painter will dispose of his colours.
49 He who uses much in his golden stories, whom he esteems to be a majesty. I do not praise him. And though he painted Virgil's Dido, to whom he was the quiver of gold, the golden hair knotted in gold, and the purple robe bound in gold, the brakes on the horse and everything in gold, I would not wish to use gold there, but in the colours imitating the rockets of gold he is more admiration and praise of the maker. And we still see in a flat table some surfaces where gold is, when they must be dark shine, and when they must be clear black opinion. I say well that the other ornaments that have come to the painting, which are sculpted columns, base, capitals and frontispieces, I will not blame them if they were well cast in pure and solid gold. On the contrary, a very perfect story deserves ornaments of precious gems.
50. Up to this point we said very briefly three parts of the painting. We said about the circumscription of the smaller and larger areas. We told about the composition of the surfaces, members and bodies. We said of the colours as to the use of the painter, and we esteemed that it was independent. And so we exposed all the painting, which we said was in these three things: circumscription, composition and receiving of light.
51. But then that there are still other useful things left to do a painter such that he can follow the whole praise, I would like to say in these commentaries that I will not let him down. Say very briefly.
52. I say the painter's office to be thus described with lines and moth with colours in what is given to him table or similar wall surface views of any body, that those at a certain distance and at a certain position of center paiano detected and very similar to have the bodies; the end of painting, make grace and benevolence and praise to the creator much more than riches. And this will follow the painters where their painting will hold the eyes and the soul of those who aim at it; what we said above where we dealt with the composition and the receiving of light. But let me like the painter, that I may keep all these things, good man and learned in good letters. And each one knows how much more the goodness of man is worth more than any industry or art to acquire benevolence from citizens, and no one doubts the benevolence of many very much to the maker to benefit both praise and profit. And it is often the case that the rich, moved more by benevolence than by marvelling at other people's art, first give a profit to this modest and good man, and leave that other painter, perhaps better in art, but not so good in costume. Therefore, in any case, they are very close to the creator to put themselves in costume, the maxims of humanity and ease, and so will be benevolence, firm help against poverty, and earnings, excellent help to learn his art well.
53. I like the painter to be learned, as he is able, in all liberal arts; but at first I wish you to know geometry. I like the sentence of Panfilo, antiquo and very noble painter, from whom the young nobles began to learn to paint. He estimated that no painter could paint well if he did not know much geometry. Our hijackings, from which all the perfect, absolute art of painting is expressed, will be understood easy by the surveyor. But those who are ignorant in geometry will not understand those or any other reason for painting. Therefore, I affirm that it is necessary for the painter to be an entrepreneur in geometry. And to dabble in poets and orators for them. These have many ornaments in common with the painter; and copious with the news of many things, they will do much good to compose the historia, of which every laude consists in in the invention, which usually has this strength, what we see, that alone without painting for itself the beautiful invention is grateful. We praise that discretion of Calumny, as Luciano tells us painted by Appelle. Let me tell you what is not alien to our purpose here in narrating it, to warn the painters in what things about the invention they need to be vigilant about. It was that painting a man with very large ears, one of which, one on this side and one on that side, were two females: one was called Ignorance, the other Sospezione. Further on came the Slander. This one was a female to see her beautiful, but her face seemed too cunning. She held in her right hand an incesa face; with the other hand she dragged a little boy with her hair, who stretched out his hands high to heaven. And there was a palid, ugly man, all gross, with an iniquitous appearance, whom thou couldst liken to him that in the fields of arms with long toil was thin and thinned, and was called Livore. And there were two other female companions to the Slander, who were her ornaments and cloths: one called Insidie and the other Fraude. The Penitence was Drieto to these, a female dressed in funeral robes, which she tore herself to pieces. Behind her followed a shameful and demure little girl, called Truth. What a story if, while acting, she liked to think how much grace and amenity she had to see her painted by Appelle's hand.
54. It would still be a pleasure to see those three sisters to whom Hesiod called Egle, Euphronesis, and Thalia, who painted each other and took each other by the hand laughing, laughing, with their clothes on, and well dressed; by whom he meant liberality, for one of these sisters gives, the other receives, and the third makes blessing; what degrees they should be in every perfect liberality. And it is evident, then, how much praise they praise such inventions to the Creator. Therefore I advise each painter to make himself very familiar with the poets, rhetoricians and other such scholars of letters, since they will give new inventions, or will certainly help to compose his story, for which they will certainly acquire many praises and names in his painting. Fidias, more than the other famous painters, confessed to having learned from Homer the poet Iove with much divine majesty. So we, scholars of learning more than of gain, from our poets will learn more and more useful things for painting.
55. But it is not uncommon for scholars and those who are greedy to learn to learn, no less they tear themselves apart where they do not know how to learn, than where fatigue is felt. We shall therefore say how one becomes a scholar in this art. Let no one doubt the head and principle of this art, and thus each of his degrees to become a master, having to take himself from nature. The perficere art will be found with diligence, diligence, and study. I want the young people, who are now new to paint, to do what I see of those who learn to write. They teach all the forms of the letters, which the anti-writers call elements; then they teach the silabas; then they teach to compose all the dictions. With this reason, let them continue to follow our own to paint. At first they learn to draw the edges of the surfaces well, and here they are almost as if they were the first elements of painting; then they learn to draw the surfaces together; then they learn each distinct form of each member, and send to mind whatever may be differences in each member. And the differences of the members are not few and very clear. And thou shalt see whose nose shall be raised up, and whose nose shall be hunchbacked; others shall have monkeys' nostrils open, or crooked nostrils open; others shall have hanging lips; some others shall have lean lips ornament. And so let us be the painter anything to each member being more or less, the face different. And you still notice how much we see, that our boyish members are round, almost lathe-made, and dilicate; in the most experienced age they are harsh and singed. Thus all these things the painter scholar will know from nature, and with himself very assiduously will examine how each one stands, and will continue to stand in this investigation and work with his eyes and mind. He shall bear in mind the womb of the one who sits in it; he shall bear in mind how sweet the legs of the one who sits in it are hanging; he shall notice whose whole body is standing straight, nor shall he be any part of it that he does not know his office and size. And of all the parts it will please them not only to make them similar, but more to add beauty to them, but that in painting vagueness is no less grateful than required. Demetrius, an antique painter, lacked to buy the last praise that was curious to do things assimilated to the natural much more than vague. For this reason it will be useful to take from all the beautiful bodies each praised part. And always to learn much vagueness contend with study and industry. What a good thing that is difficult, because grandmothers in a single body are made to complete beauties, but they are scattered and rare in several bodies, even if it is necessary to investigate and learn to put every effort into it. He shall speak as if he were to turn and take greater things, and the lesser ones will be able to do so easily; nor shall anything as difficult as study and assiduousness win.
56. But in order not to lose study and toil, one wants to escape the custom of some fools, who, being presumptuous in their wits, and having no one of nature, whom they follow with their eyes or mind, study by themselves and acquire the praise of painting. They do not learn to paint well, but they addict themselves to his errors. He escapes the ingenuity that idea of the beauties, which the very good are hardly discerned. Zeusis, a very good painter, and among the others a very good painter, to make a table as a public, placed in the temple of Lucina, following de' Crotoniati, not trusting madly, as much as today each painter, of his ingenuity, but because he thought he could not find in a single body how many beauties he was looking for, because from nature they were not at a single date, therefore of all the youth of that land elected five girls the most beautiful, to tower from these any beauty praised in a female. Savio the painter, if he knew that to the painters, if they are none of nature's essemplo which they follow, but also want with his ingenuity to swear the praise of beauty, there it will be easy for them that not what they look for beauty with so much effort they will find, but they will certainly take his practices not good, which then, if they wish, they will never be able to leave. But he who will take from it nature austere whatever we do, he will make his hand so exercised that whatever he does will always seem to be taken from the natural. Whatever it is that the painter is looking for it can be understood, where then that in a story will be a face of some known and worthy man, well that there are other figures of art much more than this one perfect and grateful, even that face known to himself will draw all the eyes of those who the story looks: so much you see in itself holds force what is portrayed by nature. That is why we will always take what we want to paint from nature, and always roast the most beautiful things.
57. But look do not do as many, which learn to draw in small boards. I want thee to have drawn great things, almost as great as to present again the greatness of that which thou art drawing, but that in the petioles easy drawings all great vices are hidden, and in the great ones very great the least good vices are seen. Galien the physician writes, having in his own time seen sculpted in a ring Phaeton carried by four horses, of which his brakes, chest and all the distinct feet can be seen. But let our painters praise the sculptors of the gems; let them have fun in greater fields of praise. Whoever will know how to paint a great figure, very easy in one fell swoop, will be able to form these other small things well. But whoever in these petioles and jewels will use his hand and wits, this easy one will err in greater things.
58. Some will consider figures of other painters, and there they seek the praise which was given to Calamide the sculptor, as they refer that he sculpted two cups in which so retracted before similar things made by Zenodorus, that no difference was known. But certainly our painters will be in great error if they do not intend that those who painted strove to present to you what, what you can see in ours in which above we said veil, sweet and well from it nature painted. And even if you like to portray other people's works, because the more you have patience for living things, the more I like to portray a mediocre sculpture than an excellent painting, but from the painted things you buy nothing more than to know how to imitate them, but from the sculpted things you learn to imitate yourself, and you learn to know and portray the lamps. And it is very useful to taste the lamps ajar to ajar the eye and to wink at the sight with the hair of the eyelids, so that there the lamps can be seen abacinated and almost as if they were painted in intersegation. And perhaps it will be more useful to be able to be in relief than in drawing. And if I am not mistaken, sculpture is more certain than painting; and rare will be those who can well paint that thing of which they do not know all its relief; and the easier the relief is to be found by sculpting than by painting. Both this subject and this one we see that in almost every age there have been some mediocre sculptors, but you can find almost no painter to laugh and misfit.
59. But in what you have been, always have before you some elegant and singulare example, such as you are portraying; and in portraying him, I judge it necessary to have a joint diligence with prescience, that he should never put his style or brush, if not well with his mind beforehand, what he has to do, and in what way he has to conduct it; for it will certainly be safer to amend errors with his mind than to shave them off from painting. And again, when we shall be used to do nothing without first having ordered, we shall be very quick painters, such as one of the other painters they say, among others, was very quick to paint. And the wits, moved and warmed up by exercise, are very much ready and prepared for work; and that hand followed very quickly, what is a certain reason of well-driven ingenuity. And if any man find himself lazy, he will be lazy, because he will be slow and fearful, and will try those things which he will not have done to his mind before, known and clear; and while he will be in the darkness of error, and almost like the blind man with his wand, so he with his brush will try this and that. Wherefore he will never, if not with cleverness, a wise man, a well learned man, ever put his hand to his work.
60. But then that the history is the painter's work, in which goddesses to be every copy and elegance of all things, we know how to paint not only one man, but still horses, dogs and all other animals, and all other things worthy of being seen. This is so conviensively to make our histories abundant; which I confess to you is very great, and to those who were made by the antics here not much allowed, that one in all things, I say not excellent made, but mediocre learned. I also affirm that we must strive that by our negligence those things are not lacking in what you have bought, which they give praise, and are denied laxly to blame. Nitias, Athenian painter, diligent painter, painted females. Eraclides was praised in painting ships. Serapion could not paint men; other things he painted very well. Dionysius could paint nothing but men. Allessandro, the one who painted Pompey's portico, above the other well painted animals, maximum dogs. Aurelius, who always loved, only by painting goddesses painted their faces as he loved them. Fidias in demonstrating the majesty of the goddesses gave more work than in following the beauty of men. Euphranore delighted in expressing the dignity of the lords, and in this he advanced all the others. So to every one was not equal faculties; and he gave nature to every one his own talent, of which we must not be content, that by our negligence we should laxly attempt as much further with our study as we can. And it is common for us to cultivate the goods of nature by study and being diligent, and thus from day to day to make them greater; and it is common for us, through our negligence, not to preach any thing that may pay praise to us.
61. And when we are going to paint history, we will first of all think a great deal about how and in what order it is beautiful, and we will make our own concepts and models of the whole history and each part of it before, and call all friends to advise us on it. And so we shall strive to have each part in us first well thought out, such that in the work we have to be something of nothing, such as we do not intend where and how it should be made and placed. And for best of all to be sure, we will mark our models with paralels, so that in the public work we roast from our conjectors, almost as from private commentaries, every room and site of things. In the work of the historia aremo that presumptuousness of doing, together with diligence, which does not bother us or tedium working, and we will flee that cupidity of finishing things as we are embarrassed by the work. And sometimes it is better to interlace the fatigue of working by recreating the soul. Nor is it good to do as some do, to undertake more works, starting today this one and tomorrow this one, and so letting them not perfect, but what work, this one making it complete from every side. It was one to whom Appelles replied, when he showed them one of his paintings, saying: "today I did this"; he said: "I wouldn't marvel at it if I had more similar ones done". I saw some painters, sculptors, still rectors and poets, - if in this age they are being turned into rectors or poets, - with ardent study give themselves to some work, then cooled that ardor of genius, lax the work begun and rough and with new greed they give themselves to new things. I certainly make men out of this way, but whatever he wants his things to be, to those who come afterwards, grating and accepting them, it is better to think what he has to do first, and then with great diligence to make it perfect. Neither in a few things is diligence praised more than ingenuity; but it is convenient to flee that decimage of those who, wanting everything to be too clean and lacking all vices, first in their hands becomes the old and greedy work that is finished. They blamed the painter Protogenes who could not raise his hand on the table. Merely this, however, that, although we should strive, how much ingenuity is in us, that things are well done with our diligence, even if we want in all things more than is possible for you, seems to me an act of pertinaceous and bizarre, not of a diligent man.
62. And let us give moderate diligence to things, and let us have the counsel of friends, and let us open ourselves to all who come, and let each one hear. The work of the painter seeks to be grateful to the whole multitude. Let them not despise the judgement and judgment of the multitude, when it is still licit to satisfy them. It is said that Appelles, hiding himself from the table, so that everyone could blame him more freely and he heard more honestly how much everyone blamed or praised him. So I want our painters to openly ask or hate what you judge, and help them to gain grace. Let no one who does not esteem honour to pass judgment in the toil of others. And I still have little doubt that the envy and detractors are detrimental to the praise of the painter. It has always been to the painter all his evident praise, and it is to his praise that we can see what good he will have painted. When you hear each one of them, and think well and well with your gastritis; and when you hear each one of them, believe the experts.
63. I had to say these things about painting, such as whether they are comfortable and useful to painters, only this I ask as a reward for my efforts, that in his stories paint my face, so that they show themselves to be grateful and me to have been a scholar of art. And if I am less satisfying of their expectations, they will not, however, deprive me if I had such a great spirit of understanding. And if our ingenuity could not finish what it was laude to attempt, let it be only the will nor great and difficult to be praise. Perhaps after me will be those who will amend and 'our written errors, and in this most dignified and most lend art will be more than us in help and useful to painters, as I, - if ever any, - priego and much repriego piglino this effort with happy and ready to be in what his genius and make this art noble well governed. We shall, however, consider ourselves to be the first to have taken this palm of having dared to commend this most subtle and noble art to the letter. In what a very difficult enterprise, if we have been able to satisfy the expectations of those who have read to us, I blame nature no less than we do, as this law imposes on things, that no art is moved which has not had its beginnings from mendacious things: nothing is moved together born and perfect. Whoever will follow us, if perhaps he be of more study and ingenuity than we, this one, as much as I esteem myself, will make absolute and perfect painting.