which are comprehended under the name of the belle lettere In my opinion the Books which are of the most advantage to those of the Profession are these which follow The Bible The History of Iosephus The Roman History of Coeffeteau for those who understand the French and that of Titus Livius translated by Vigenere with the Notes which are both curious and profitable They are in two Volumes Homer whom Pliny calls the Fountain-head of Invention and noble thoughts Virgil and in him particularly his Aeneids The Ecclesiastical History of Godeau or the Abridgement of Baronius Ovid's Metamorphoses translated into French by Du Rier and in English by Sandys The Pictures of Philostratus Plutarch's Lives translated from the Greek by several hands in 5 Volumes Pausanias though I doubt whether that Author be translated He is wonderfull for giving of great Ideas and chiefly for such as are to be plac'd at a distance or cast behind and for the combining of Figures This Author in conjunction with Homer make a good mingle of what is pleasing and what is perfect The Religion of the Ancient Romans by Du Choul and in English Godwin's Roman Antiquities Trajan's Pillar with the discourse which explains the Figures on it and instructs a Painter in those things with which he is undispensibly to be acquainted This is one of the most principal and most learned Books which we have for the Modes the Customs the Arms and the Religion of the Romans Iulio Romano made his chief studies on the Marble it self The Books of Medals The Bass-Reliefs of Perrier and others with their Explanations at the bottom of the Pages which give a perfect understanding of them Horace's Art of Poetry by the Earl of Roscomon because of the relation which there is betwixt the Rules of Poetry and those of Painting And other Books of the like Nature the reading of which are profitable to warm the Imagination such as in English are Spencer's Fairy Queen The Paradise lost of Milton Tasso translated by Fairfax and the History of Polybius by Sir Henry Shere Some Romances also are very capable of entertaining the Genius and of strengthening it by the noble Ideas which they give of things but there is this danger in them that they almost always corrupt the truth of History There are also other Books which a Painter may use upon some particular occasions and onely when he wants them Such are The Mythology of the Gods The Images of the Gods The Iconology The Tables of Hyginus The practical Perspective And some others not here mention'd Thus it is necessary that they who are desirous of a name in Painting should read at leisure times these Books with diligence and make their observations of such things as they find for their purpose in them and of which they believe they may sometime or other have occasion let the Imagination be employ'd in this reading and let them make Sketches and light Touches of those Ideas which that reading forms in their Imagination Quinctilian Tacitus or whoever was the Author of that Dialogue which is call'd in Latine De causis corrupâ—â—ae eloquentiae says That Painting resembles Fiâ—â—e which is â—â—ed by the Fuel inflam'd by Motion and gaâ—â—hers strength by burning For the power of the Genius is onely augmented by the abundance of matter to supply it and 't is impossible to make a great and magnificent work if that matter be wanting or not dispos'd rightly And therefore a Painter who has a Genius gets nothing by long thinking and taking all imaginable care to make a noble Composition if he be not assisted by those studies which I have mention'd All that he can gain by it is onely to weary his Imagination and to travel over many vast Countries without dwelling on any one thing which can give him satisfaction All the Books which I have named may be serviceable to all sorts of Persons as well as to Painters As for those Books which were of particular use to them they were unfortunately lost in those Ages which were before the Invention of Printing Neglecting the Copyers probably out of ignorance to transcribe them as not finding themselves capable of making the demonstrative Figures In the mean time 't is evidently known by the reltaion of Authors that we have lost fifty Volumes of them at the least See Pliny in his 35th Book and Franc. Iunius in his 3d. Chapter of the 2d Book of the Painting of the Ancients Many Moderns have written of it with small success taking a large compass without coming directly to the point and talking much without saying any thing yet some of them have acquitted themselves successfully enough Amongst others Leonardo da Vinci though without method Paulo Lomazzo whose Book is good for the greatest part but whose discourse is too diffusive and very tiresome Iohn Baptist Armenini Franciscus Iunius Monsieur de Cambray to whose Preface I rather invite you than to his Book we are not to forget what Monsieur Felebien has written of the Picture of Alexander by the hand of Monsieur Le Brun besides that the work it self is very eloquent the Foundations which he establishes for the making of a good Picture are wonderfully solid Thus I have given you very near the Library of a Painter and a Catalogue of such Books as he ought either to read himself or have read to him at least if he will not satisfie himself with possessing Painting as the most sordid of all Trades and not as the noblest of all Arts. 'T is the business of a Painter in his choice of Postures c. See here the most important Precept of all those which relate to Painting It belongs properly to a Painter alone and all the rest are borrow'd either from Learning or from Physick or from the Mathematicks or in short from other Arts for it is sufficient to have a natural Wit and Learning to make that which we call in Painting a good Invention for the design we must have some insight into Anatomy to make Buildings and other things in Perspective we must have knowledge in the Mathematicks and other Arts will bring in their Quota's to furnish out the matter of a good Picture but for the Oeconomy or ordering of the whole together none but onely the Painter can understand it because the end of the Artist is pleasingly to deceive the Eyes which he can never accomplish if this part be wanting to him A Picture may make an ill effect though the Invention of it be truly understood the Design of it correct and the Colours of it the most beautifull and fine that can be employ'd in it And on the contrary we may behold other Pictures ill invented ill design'd and painted with the most common Colours which shall make a very good effect and which shall more pleasingly deceive Nothing pleases a man so much as order says Xenophon And Horace in his Art of Poetry Singula quaeque locum teneant
salvage Nature which is not of our acquaintance and which seems to be of a quite new Creation Whom you must have always present as a witness to the truth c. This passage seems to be wonderfully well said The nearer a Picture approaches to the truth The better it is and though the Painter who is its Author be the first Judge of the Beauties which are in it he is nevertheless oblig'd not to pronounce it till he has first consulted Nature who is an irreproachable evidence and who will frankly but withall truly tell you its Defects and Beauties if you compare it with her Work And of all other things which discover to us the Thoughts and inventions of the Graecians c. As good Books such as are Homer and Pausanias the prints which we see of the Antiquities may extremely contribute to from our Genius and to give us great Ideas in the same manner as the Writings of good Authors are capable of forming a good Style in those who are desirous of writing well If you have but one single Figure to work upon c. The reason of this is That there being nothing to attract the Sight but this onely Figure the Visual Rays will not be too much divided by the Diversity of Colours and Draperies but onely take heed to put in nothing which shall appear too sharp or too hard and be mindfull of the 4th Precept which says that two Extremities are never to touch each other either in Colour or in Light but that there must be a mean partaking of the one and of the other Let the Drapery be nobley Spread upon the Body let the Folds be large c. As Raphael practis'd after he had forsaken the manner of Pietro Perugino and principally in his latter Works And let them follow the order of the parts c. As the fairest pieces of Antiquity will show us And take heed that the folds do not only follow the order of the parts but that they also mark the most considerable Muscles because that those Figures where the drapery and the naked part are seen both together are much more gracefull than the other Without sitting too streight upon them c. Painters ought not to imitate the Ancients in this circumstance the ancient Statuaries maâ—â— their Draperies of wet Linen On purpose to make them sit close and streight to the parts of their Figures for doing which they had great reason and in following which the Painters would be much in the wrong and you shall see upon what grounds those great Genius's of Antiquity finding that it was impossible to imitate with Marble the fineness of stuffs or garments which is not to be discern'd but by the Colours the Reflexes and more especially by the Lights and Shadows finding it I say out of their power to dispose of those things thought they could not do better nor more prudentially than to make use of such Draperies as hinder'd not from seeing through their Folds the delicacy of the Flesh and the purity of the Out-lines things which truly speaking they possest in the last perfection and which in all appearance were the subject of their chief study But Painters on the contrary who are to deceive the Sight quite otherwise than Statuaries are bound to imitate the different sorts of Garments such as they naturally seem and such as Colours Reflexes Lights and Shadows of all which they are Masters can make them appear Thus we see that those who have made the nearest imitations of Nature have made use of such Stuffs or Garments which are familiar to our Sight and these they have imitated with so much Art that in beholding them we are pleas'd that they deceive us such were Titian Paul Veronese Tintoret Rubens Van Dyck and the rest of the good Colourists who have come nearest to the truth of Nature Instead of which others who have scrupulously tied themselves to the practice of the Ancients in their Draperies have made their works crude and dry and by this means have found out the lamentable secret how to make their Figures harder than even the Marble it self As Andrea Mantegna and Pietro Perugino have done and Raphael also had much of that way in his first Works in which we behold many small foldings often repleited which look like so many Whip-cords 'T is true these repetitions are seen in the Ancient Statues and they are very proper there Because they who made use of wet Linen and close Draperies to make their Figures look more tender reasonably foresaw that the Members would be too naked if they left not more than two or three Folds scarce appearing such as those sorts of Draperies afford the Sight and therefore have us'd those Repetitions of many Folds yet in such a manner that the Figures are always soft and tender and thereby seem opposite to the hardness of Marble Add to this that in Sculpture 't is almost impossible that a Figure cloath'd with course Draperies can make a good effect on all the sides and that in Painting the Draperies of what kind soever they be are of great advantage either to unite the Colours and the Grouppes or to give such a ground as one would wish to unite or to separate or farther to produce such reflections as set off or for filling void spaces or in short for many other advantages which help to deceive the Sight and which are no ways necessary to Sculptors since their Work is always of Relievo Three things may be inferr'd from what I have said concerning the rule of Draperies First that the Ancient Sculptors had reason to cloath their Figures as we see them Secondly that Painters ought to imitate them in the order of their Folds but not in their quality nor in their number Thirdly That Sculptors are oblig'd to follow them as much as they can without desiring to imitate unprofitably or improperly the manners of the Painters and to make many ample Folds which are insufferable hardnesses and more like a Rock than a natural Garment See the 211th Remark about the middle of it And if the parts be too much distant from each other c. 'T is with intent to hinder as we have said in the rule of Grouppes the visual Rays from being too much divided and that the Eyes may not suffer by looking on so many objects which are separated Guido was very exact in this observation See in the Text the end of the Rule which relates to Draperies And as the Beauty of the Limbs consists not in the quantity and rising of the Muscles c. Raphael in the beginning of his Painting has somewhat too much multiply'd the Folds because being with reason charm'd with the graces of the Ancients he imitated their Beauties somewhat too regularly but having afterwards found that this quantity of Folds glitter'd too much upon the Limbs and took off that Repose and Silence which in Painting are so friendly to
And as it is a common saying that He who has begun well has already perform'd half his work so * there is nothing more pernicious to a Youth who is yet in the Elements of Painting than to engage himself under the discipline of an ignorant Master who depraves his taste by an infinite number of mistakes of which his wretched works are full and thereby makes him drink the poyson which infects him through all his future life Let him who is yet but a Beginner not make so much haste to study after Nature every thing which he intends to imitate as not in the mean time to learn Proportions the connexion of the parts and their out-lines And let him first have well examin'd the Excellent Originals and have thoroughly studied all the sweet deceipts of his Art which he must be rather taught by a knowing Master than by practice and by seeing him perform without being contented onely to hear him speak * Search whatsoever is aiding to your Art and convenient and avoid those things which are repugnant to it * Bodies of divers natures which are aggroup'd or combin'd together are agreeable and pleasant to the sight * as also those things which appear to be perform'd with ease Because they are ever full of Spirit and seem animated with a kind of Coelestial fire But we are not able to compass these things with facility till we have for a long time weigh'd them in our judgment and thoroughly consider'd them By this means the Painter shall be enabled to conceal the pains and study which his Art and work have cost him under a pleasing sort of deceipt For the greatest secret which belongs to Art is to hide it from the discovery of Spectatours Never give the least touch with your Pencil till you have well examin'd your Design and have settled your out-lines * nor till you have present in your mind a perfect Idea of your work * Let the Eye be satisfy'd in the first place even against and above all other reasons which beget difficulties in your Art which of it self suffers none and let the compass be rather in your Eyes than in your Hands * Profit your self by the Counsels of the knowing And do not arrogantly disdain to learn the opinion of every man concerning your work All men are blind as to their own productions and no man is capable of judging in his own cause but if you have no knowing friend to assist you with his advice yet length of time will never fail 't is but letting some weeks pass over your Head or at least some days without looking on your work and that intermission will faithfully discover to you the faults and beauties yet suffer not your self to be carried away by the opinions of the Vulgar who often speak without knowledge neither give up your self altogether to them and abandon wholly your own Genius so as lightly to change that which you have made For he who has a windy Head and flatters himself with the empty hope of deserving the praise of the common people whose opinions are inconsiderate and changeable does but injure himself and pleases no man Since every Painter paints himself in his own works so much is Nature accustom'd to produce her own likeness 't is advantageous to him to know himself * to the end that he may cultivate those Talents which make his Genius and not unprofitably lose his time in endeavouring to gain that which she has refus'd him As neither Fruits have the taste nor Flowers the beauty which is natural to them when they are transplanted in a foreign soil and are forc'd to bear before their season by an artificial heart so 't is in vain for the Painter to sweat over his works in spight of Nature and of Genius for without them 't is impossible for him to succeed * While you meditate on these truths and observe them diligently by making necessary reflections on them let the labour of the Hand accompany the study of the Brain let the former second and support the latter yet without blunting the sharpness of your Genius and abating of its vigour by too much assiduity * The Morning is the best and most proper part of the day for your business employ it therefore in the study and exercise of those things which require the greatest pains and application * Let no day pass over you without a line Observe as you walk the Streets the Airs of Heads the natural Posturs and Expressions which are always the most free the less they seem to be observ'd * Be ready to put into your table-Table-book table- which you must always carry about you whatsoever you judge worthy of it whether it be upon the Earth or in the Air or upon the Waters while the Species of them is yet fresh in your Imagination * Wine and good Cheer are no great Friends to painting they serve only to recreate the Mind when 't is opprest and spent with Labour then indeed 't is proper to renew your Vigour by the conversation of your Friends Neither is a true Painter naturally pleas'd with the fatigue of business and particularly of the Law but delights in the liberty which belongs to the Batchelour's Estate Painting naturally withdraws from Noise and Tumult and pleases it self in the enjoyment of a Country Retirement because Silence and Solitude set an edge upon the Genius and cause a greater Application to work and study and also serve to produce the Ideas which so conceiv'd will be always present in the Mâ—â—nd even to the finishing of the work the whole compass of which the Painter can at that time more commodiously form to himself than at any other * Let not the covetous design of growing rich induce you to ruin your reputation but rather satisfy your self with a moderate fortune and let your Thoughts be wholly taken up with acquiring to your self a glorious Name which can never perish but with the World and make that the recompence of your worthy Labours * The qualities requisite to form an excellent Painter are a true discerning Judgment a Mind which is docible a noble Heart a sublime Sense of things and Fervour of Soul after which follow Health of Body handsomeness a convenient share of Fortune Youth Diligence an affection for the Art and to be bred under the discipline of a knowing Master And remember that whatsoever your Subject be whether of your own Choice or what chance or good fortune shall put into your hand if you have not that Genius or natural Inclination which your Art requires you shall never arrive to perfection in it even with all those great advantages which I have mention'd for the Wit and the manual operation are things vastly distant from each other 'T is the Influence of your Stars and the happiness of your Genius to which you must be oblig'd for the greatest Beauties of your Art Nay even
which is repugnant to Nature in general and when we have paid her this duty we are bound so religiously to follow our own Nature that though many things which are more serious and more important present themselves to us yet we are always to conform our Studies and our Exercises to our natural Inclinations It avails nothing to dispute against Nature and think to obtain what she refuses for then we eternally follow what we can never reach for as the Proverb says There is nothing can please nothing can be gracefull which we enterprize in spight of Minerva that is to say in spight of Nature When we have consider'd all these things attentively it will then be necessary that every man should regard that in particular which Nature has made his portion and that he should cultivate it with care 't is not his business to give himself the trouble of trying whether it will become him to put on the Nature of another man or as one would say to act the person of another there is nothing which can more become us than what is properly the Gift of Nature Let every one therefore endeavour to understand his own Talent and without flattering himself let him make a true judgment of his own Vertues and his own Defects and Vices that he may not appear to have less judgment than the Comedians who do not always chuse the best Plays but those which are best for them that is those which are most in the compass of their acting Thus we are to fix on those things for which we have the strongest Inclination And if it sometimes happen that we are forc'd by necessity to apply our selves to such other things to which we are no ways inclin'd we must bring it so about by our Care and Industry that if we perform them not very well at least we may not do them so very ill as to be sham'd by them we are not so much to strain our selves to make those Vertues appear in us which really we have not as to avoid those Imperfections which may dishonour us These are the Thoughts and the Words of Cicero which I have translated retrenching onely such things as were of no concernment to my Subject I was not of opinion to add any thing and the Reader I doubt not will find his satisfaction in them While you meditate on these Truths and observe them diligently c. There is a great Connexion betwixt this Precept and that other which tells you That you are to pass no day without drawing a line 'T is impossible to become an able Artist without making your Art habitual to you and 't is impossible to gain an exact Habitude without an infinite number of Acts and without perpetual Practice In all Arts the Rules of them are learn'd in little time but the perfection is not acquir'd without a long Practice and a severe Diligence We never saw that Laziness produc'd any thing which was excellent says Maximus Tyrius and Quinctilian tells us That the Arts draw their beginning from Nature the want we often have of them causes us to search the means of becoming able in them and exercise makes us entirely Masters of them The morning is the best and most proper part of the day c. Because then the Imagination is not clouded with the Vapours of Meat nor distracted by Visits which are not usually made in the morning And the Mind by the Sleep of the foregoing Night is refresh'd and recreated from the Toyls of former Studies Malherbe says well to this purpose Le plus beau de nos jours est dans leur matinee The sprightly Morn is the best part of Day Let no day pass over you without drawing a line c. That is to say without working without giving some strokes of the Pencil or the Crayon This was the Precept of Apelles and 't is of so much the more necessity because Painting is an Art of much length and time and is not to be learn'd without great Practice Michael Angelo at the Age of fourscore years said That he learn'd something every day Be ready to put into your table-Table-book c. As it was the custom of Titian and the Carraches there are yet remaining in the hands of some who are curious in Painting many thoughts and observations which those great Men have made on Paper and in their table-Table-books which they carry'd continually about them Wine and good Cheer are no great Friends to Painting they serve onely to recreate the Mind when it is oppress'd and spent with Labour c. During the time says Pliny that Protogenes was drawing the Picture of Jalysus which was the best of all his Works he took no other nourishment than Lupines mix'd with a little water which serv'd him both for Meat and Drink for fear of clogging his Imagination by the Luxury of his Food Michael Angelo while he was drawing his day of Judgment fed onely on Bread and Wine at Dinner And Vasari observes in his life that he was so sober that he slept but little and that he often rose in the Night to work as being not disturb'd by the Vapours of his thin Repasts But delights in the liberty which belongs to the Batchelors Estate c. We never see large and beautifull and well-tasted Fruits proceeding from a Tree which is incompass'd round and choak'd with Thorns and Bryars Marriage draws a world of business on our hands subjects us to Law-suits and loads us with multitudes of domestick Cares which are as so many Thorns that encompass a Painter and hinder him from producing his works in that perfection of which otherwise he is capable Raphael Michael Angelo and Hannibal Carracci were never marry'd and amongst the Ancient Painters we find none recorded for being marry'd but onely Apelles to whom Alexander the Great made a present of his own Mistress Campaspe which yet I would have understood without offence to the Institution of Marriage for that calls down many Blessings upon Families by the Carefulness of a vertuous Wife If Marriage be in general a remedy against Concupiscence 't is doubly so in respect of Painters who are more frequently under the occasions of Sin than other Men because they are under a frequent necessity to seeing Nature bare-fac'd Let every one examine his own strength upon this point but let him preferr the interest of his Soul to that of his Art and of his Fortune Painting naturally withdraws from noise and tumult c. I have said at the end of the first Remark that both Poetry and Painting were upheld by the strength of Imagination Now there is nothing which warms it more than Repose and Solitude Because in that estate the Mind being freed from all sorts of business and in a kind of Sanctuary undisturb'd by vexatious Visits is more capable of forming noble Thoughts and of Application to its Studies Carmina secessum scribentis otia quaerunt
sake of a Mistress who dislik'd his former profession He was a painful and diligent Imitator of the ordinary Life and much better at representing the defects than the Beauties of Nature One of his best Pieces is a Descent from the Cross in a Chapel of the Cathedral at Antwerp for which and a multitude of other Histories and Portraits he gain'd a great number of admirers especially for his Curiosity and Neatness which in truth was the principal part of his Character He died Anno 1529. Beside the two Masters last mention'd there were several other History-painters who flourish'd in Germany Flanders and Holland about this time But their manner being generally Gothique Hard and Dry more like the Style of Cimabue in the Dawning of the Art of Painting than the Gusto of Raphael in its Meridian Lustre we shall onely give you the names of some of the most noted and such were Mabuse Aldegraef Schoorel Frans Floris Martin Hemskerck Chris. Schwarts c. POLIDORO of CARAVAGGIO in the Dutchy of Milan was born Anno 1495 and brought up to no better an imployment than carrying Stone and Mortar in the New-buildings of Pope Leo X. But being tempted at last by the performances of Gio. d'Udine to try his Talent in Designing by the assistance of one of his Scholars and his own continued Application to the Antiquities in a little time he became so skilful an Artist that he had the honour of contributing much to the finishing those glorious Works in the Vatican He associated himself both in the Study and Practice of his Art with one MATURINO a Florentine and their Genius being very conformable they liv'd together like Brothers working in Fresco upon several Frontispieces of the most noble Palaces in Rome whereby they acquir'd great reputation their Invention being the richest and their Design the easiest that could any where be seen But Maturino dying Anno 1527 and Rome being then in the hands of the Spaniards Polidoro retir'd to Naples and from thence to Messina where his excellent Talent in Architecture also being highly commended he was order'd to prepare the Triumphal Arches for the reception of the Emperour Charles V. from Tunis for which he was nobly rewarded and being afterwards desirous of seeing Rome once more in his return thither was murther'd by his Servant and Accomplices for the sake of his Money and bury'd at Messina Anno 1543. Vide Pag. 217. ROSSO so call'd from his red Hair born at Florence Anno 1496 was educated in the study of Philosophy Music c. and having learnt the first Rudiments of Design from the Cartoons of Michael Angelo improv'd himself by the help of Anatomy which he understood so very well that he compos'd two Books upon that Subject He had a copious Invention great skill in the mixture of his Colours and in the management of his Lights and Shadows was very happy also in his Naked Figures which he express'd with a good Relievo and proper Attitudes and would have excell'd in all the parts of Paintinig had he not been too licentious and extravagant sometimes and suffer'd himself rather to be hurry'd away with the heat of an unbounded Fancy than govern'd by his own Iudgment or the Rules of Art From Florence his Curiosity carry'd him to Rome and Venice and afterwards into France where by his Works in the Galleries at Fountainbleau and by several proofs which he gave of his extraordinary knowledge in Architecture he recommended himself so effectually to Francis I. that he made him Super-intendent General of all his Buildings Pictures c. and gave him other opportunities of growing so vastly rich that for some time he liv'd like a Prince himself in all the Splendor and Magnificence imaginable till at last being rob'd of a considerable Summ of Money and suspecting one of his intimate Friends a Florentine who frequented his house he caus'd him to be imprison'd and put to the Torture which he underwent with courage and having in the highest extremities maintain'd his innocence with so much constancy as to procure his Release Rosso partly out of remorse for the barbarous treatment of his Friend and partly out of fear of the ill consequence from his just Resentment made himself away by Poison Anno 1541. FRANCESCO PRIMATICCIO a famous Painter and Architect of Bologna succeeded Rosso in the Honours and Imployments which he enjoy'd by the favour of Francis I. and besides being very well descended was made Abbot of St. Martin de Troy in Champagne He finish'd all the several Works begun by his Predecessor at Fountainbleau by the assistance of NICOLO dell ' ABBATE an excellent Artist his Disciple and enrich'd that Palace with abundance of noble Statues and other Pieces of Antiquity which he brought purposely from Italy by the Kings order He had been bred up at Mantoua under Iulio Romano as well to Stucco-work as Painting and by studying his manner together with the Performances of other great Masters became perfect in the Art of Designing and well vers'd in grand Compositions He continued in France during the remainder of his Life liv'd in Pomp and State more like a Nobleman than a Painter and was very well esteem'd in four several Reigns DON GIULIO CLOVIO the celebrated Limner born in Sâ—â—lavonia Anno 1498 at the age of eighteen years went to Italy and under the Conduct of Iulio Romano apply'd himself to Miniature with such admirable Success that never did ancient Greece or modern Rome produce his Fellow He excell'd both in Portraits and Histories and as Vasari his Contemporary reports was another Titian in the one and a second Michael Angelo in the other He was entertain'd for some time in the service of the King of Hungary after whose decease he return'd to Italy and being taken Prisoner at the sacking of Rome by the Spaniards made a Vow to retire into a Convent as soon as ever he should recover his Liberty which he accordingly perform'd not long after in Mantoua but upon a Dispensation obtain'd from the Pope by Cardinal Grimani soon laid aside the religious Habit and was receiv'd into the Family of that Prince His Works were wonderfully esteem'd throughout Europe highly valu'd by several Popes by the Emperours Charles V. and Maximilian II. by Philip King of Spain and many other illustrious Personages and so much admir'd at Rome that those Pieces which he wrought for the Cardinal Farnese in whose Palace he spent the latter part of his Life were by all the Lovers of Art reckon'd in the number of the Rarities of that City Ob. Anno 1578. HANS HOLBEIN born at Basil in Switzerland Anno 1498 was a Disciple of his Father by whose assistance and his own industry he made a wonderful Progress in the Art of Painting and acquir'd such a name by his Piece of Deaths-dance in the Town-hall of Basil that the famous Erasmus after he had oblig'd him to draw his Picture sent him over with
the other side their Characters were wholly perfect such as for Example the Character of a Saint or Martyr in a Play his or her misfortunes wou'd produce impious thoughts in the Beholders they wou'd accuse the Heavens of injustice and think of leaving a Religion where Piety was so ill requited I say the greater part wou'd be tempted so to do I say not that they ought and the consequence is too dangerous for the practice In this I have accus'd my self for my own St. Catharine but let truth prevail Sophocles has taken the just medium in his Oedipus He is somewhat arrogant at his first entrance and is too inquisitive through the whole Tragedy Yet these Imperfections being balanc'd by great Vertues they hinder not our compassion for his miseries neither yet can they destroy that horrour which the nature of his Crimes have excited in us Such in Painting are the Warts and Moles which adding a likeness to the Face are not therefore to be omitted But these produce no loathing in us But how far to proceed and where to stop is left to the judgment of the Poet and the Painter In Comedy there is somewhat more of the worse likeness to be taken Because that is often to produce laughter which is occasion'd by the sight of some deformity but for this I referr the Reader to Aristotle 'T is a sharp manner of Instruction for the Vulgar who are never well amended till they are more than sufficiently expos'd That I may return to the beginning of this Remark concerning perfect Idea's I have onely this to say that the Parallel is often true in Epique-Poetry The Heroes of the Poets are to be drawn according to this Rule There is scarce a frailty to be left in the best of them any more than is to be found in a Divine Nature And if Aeneas sometimes weeps it is not in bemoaning his own miseries but those which his people undergo If this be an Imperfection the Son of God when he was incarnate shed tears of Compassion over Ierusalem And Lentulus describes him often weeping but never laughing so that Virgil is justify'd even from the Holy Scriptures I have but one word more which for once I will anticipate from the Authour of this Book Though it must be an Idea of Perfection from which both the Epique Poet and the History Painter draws yet all Perfections are not suitable to all Subjects But every one must be design'd according to that perfect Beauty which is proper to him An Apollo must be distinguish'd from a Iupiter a Pallas from a Venus and so in Poetry an Aeneas from any other Heroe for Piety is his chief Perfection Homer's Achilles is a kind of Exception to this Rule but then he is not a perfect Heroe nor so intended by the Poet. All his Gods had somewhat of humane imperfection for which he has been tax'd by Plato as an Imitatour of what was bad But Virgil observ'd his fault and mended it Yet Achilles was perfect in the strength of his Body and the vigour of his Mind Had he been less passionate or less revengefull the Poet well foresaw that Hector had been kill'd and Troy taken at the first assault which had destroy'd the beautifull contrivance of his Iliads and the moral of preventing Discord amongst Confederate Princes which was his principal intention For the Moral as Bossu observes is the first business of the Poet as being the ground-work of his Instruction This being form'd he contrives such a Design or Fable as may be most suitable to the Moral After this he begins to think of the Persons whom he is to employ in carrying on his Design and gives them the Manners which are most proper to their several Characters The thoughts and words are the last parts which give Beauty and Colouring to the Piece When I say that the Manners of the Heroe ought to be good in perfection I contradict not the Marquess of Normanby's opinion in that admirable Verse where speaking of a perfect Character he calls it A Faultless Monster which the World ne'er knew For that Excellent Critique intended onely to speak of Dramatique Characters and not of Epique Thus at leaâ—â—t I have shewn that in the most perfect Poem which is that of Virgil a perfect Idea was requir'd and follow'd And consequently that all succeeding Poets ought rather to imitate him than even Homer I will now proceed as I promis'd to the Authour of this Book He tells you almost in the first lines of it that the chief end of Painting is to please the Eyes and 't is one great End of Poetry to please the Mind Thus far the Parallel of the Arts holds true with this difference That the Principal end of Painting is to please and the chief design of Poetry is to instruct In this the latter seems to have the advantage of the former But if we consider the Artists themselves on both sides certainly their aims are the very same they wou'd both make sure of pleasing and that in preference to instruction Next the means of this pleasure is by Deceipt One imposes on the Sight and the other on the Understanding Fiction is of the Essence of Poetry as well as of Painting there is a resemblance in one of Humane Bodies Things and Actions which are not real and in the other of a true Story by a Fiction And as all Stories are not proper Subjects for an Epique Poem or a Tragedy so neither are they for a noble Picture The Subjects both of the one and of the other ought to have nothing of immoral low or filthy in them but this being treated at large in the Book itself I wave it to avoid repetition Onely I must add that thoughâ—â— Catullus Ovid and others were of another opinion that the Subject of Poets and even their thoughts and expressions might be loose provided their lives were chast and holy yet there are no such licences permitted in that Art any more than in Painting to design and colour obscene Nudities Vita proba est is no excuse for it will scarcely be admitted that either a Poet or a Painter can be chast who give us the contrary examples in their Writings and their Pictures We see nothing of this kind in Virgil that which comes the nearest to it is the adventure of the Cave where Dido and Aeneas were driven by the Storm Yet even there the Poet pretends a Marriage before the Consummation and Iuno her self was present at it Neither is there any expression in that Story which a Roman Matron might not reade without a blush Besides the Poet passes it over as hastily as he can as if he were afraid of staying in the Cave with the two Lovers and of being a witness to their Actions Now I suppose that a Painter wou'd not be much commended who shou'd pick out this Cavern from the whole Eneids when there is not another in the Work He had better leave them in their
not properly speaking a part of the main Action But Virgil concludes with the death of Turnus sor after that difficulty was remov'd Aeneas might marry and establish the Trojans when he pleas'd This Rule I had before my Eyes in the conclusion of the Spanish Fryar when the discovery was made that the King was living which was the knot of the Play unty'd the rest is shut up in the compass of some few lines because nothing then hinder'd the Happiness of Torismond and Leonora The faults of that Drama are in the kind of it which is Tragi comedy But it was given to the people and I never writ any thing for my self but Anthony and Cleopatra This Remark I must acknowledge is not so proper for the Colouring as the Design but it will hold for both As the words c. are evidently shown to be the cloathing of the Thought in the same sense as Colours are the cloathing of the Design so the Painter and the Poet ought to judge exactly when the Colouring and Expressions are perfect and then to think their work is truly finish'd Apelles said of Protogenes That he knew not when to give over A work may be over-wrought as well as under-wrought too much Labour often takes away the Spirit by adding to the polishing so that there remains nothing but a dull correctness a piece without any considerable Faults but with few Beauties for when the Spirits are drawn off there is nothing but a caput mortuum Statius never thought an expression could be bold enough and if a bolder could be found he rejected the first Virgil had Judgment enough to know daring was necessary but he knew the difference betwixt a glowing Colour and a glaring as when he compar'd the shocking of the Fleets at Actium to the justling of Islands rent from their Foundations and meeting in the Ocean He knew the comparison was forc'd beyond Nature and rais'd too high he therefore softens the Metaphor with a Credas You would almost believe that Mountains or Islands rush'd against each other Credas innare revulsas Cycladas aut montes concurrere montibus aequos But here I must break off without finishing the Discourse Cynthius aurem vellit admonuit c. the things which are behind are of too nice a consideration for an Essay begun and ended in twelve Mornings and perhaps the Iudges of Painting and Poetry when I tell them how short a time it cost me may make me the same answer which my late Lord Rochester made to one who to commend a Tragedy said it was written in three weeks How the Devil could he be so long about it For that Poem was infamously bad and I doubt this Parallel is little better and then the shortness of the time is so far from being a Commendation that it is scarcely an Excuse But if I have really drawn a Portrait to the Knees or an half length with a tolerable Likeness then I may plead with some Justice for my self that the rest is left to the Imagination Let some better Artist provide himself of a deeper Canvas and taking these hints which I have given set the Figure on its Legs and finish it in the Invention Design and Colouring THE PREFACE OF THE French Author AMong all the beautiful and delightful Arts that of Painting has always found the most Lovers the number of them almost including all Mankind Of whom great multitudes are daily found who value themselves on the knowledge of it either because they keep company with Painters or that they have seen good Pieces or lastly because their Gusto is naturally good Which notwithstanding that Knowledge of theirs if we may so call it is so very superficial and so ill grounded that it is impossible for them to describe in what consists the beauty of those Works which they admire or the faults which are in the greatest part of those which they condemn and truly 't is not hard to find that this proceeds from no other cause than that they are not furnish'd with Rules by which to judge nor have any solid Foundations which are as so many Lights set up to clear their understanding and lead them to an entire and certain knowledge I think it superfluous to prove that this is necessary to the knowledge of Painting 'T is sufficient that Painting be acknowledg'd for an Art for that being granted it follows without dispute that no Arts are without their Precepts I shall satisfy my self with telling you that this little Treatise will furnish you with infallible Rules of judging truly since they are not onely founded upon right Reason but upon the best Pieces of the best Masters which our Author hath carefully examin'd during the space of more than thirty years and on which he has made all the reflections which are necessary to render this Treatise worthy of Posterity which though little in bulk yet contains most judicious Remarks and suffers nothing to escape that is essential to the Subject which it handles If you will please to read it with attention you will find it capable of giving the most nice and delicate sort of Knowledge not onely to the Lovers but even to the Professors of that Art It would be too long to tell you the particular advantages which it has above all the Books which hath appear'd before it in this kind you need onely to read it and that will convince you of this truth All that I will allow my self to say is onely this That there is not a word in it which carries not its weight whereas in all others there are two considerable faults which lie open to the sight viz That saying too much they always say too little I assure my self that the Reader will own 't is a work of general profit to the Lovers of Painting for their instruction how to judge exactly and with Knowledge of the Cause which they are to judge And to the Painters themselves by removing their difficulties that they may work with pleasure because they may be in some manner certain that their Productions are good 'T is to be used like Spirits and precious Liquours the less you drink of it at a time 't is with the greater pleasure read it often and but little at once that you may digest it better and dwell particularly on those passages which you find mark'd with an Asterism* For the observations which follow such a Note will give you a clearer Light on the matter which is there treated You will find them by the Numbers which are on the side of the Translation from five to five Veres by searching for the like Number in the Remarks which are at the end of it and which are distinguish'd from each other by this note ¶ You will find in the latter Pages of this Book the Judgment of the Author on those Painters who have acquir'd the greatest Reputation in the World Amongst whom he was not willing to comprehend those who are now
of Heroes and both endeavour to eternize them Both of them in short are supported by the strength of their Imagination and avail themselves of those licences which Apollo has equally bestow'd on them and with which their Genius has inspir'd them Pictoribus atque Poetis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas Painters and Poets free from servile awe May treat their Subjects and their Objects draw As Horace tells us in his Art of Poetry The advantage which Painting possesses above Poesie is this That amongst so great a Diversity of Languages she makes her self understood by all the Nations of the World and that she is necessary to all other Arts because of the need which they have of demonstrative Figures which often give more Light to the Understanding than the clearest discourses we can make Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem Quam quae sunt oculis commissa fidelibus Hearing excites the Mind by slow degrees The Man is warm'd at once by what he sees Horace in the same Art of Poetry For both of them that they might contribute c. Poetry by its Hymns and Anthems and Painting by its Statues Altar-pieces and by all those Decorations which inspire Respect and Reverence for our Sacred Mysteries have been serviceable to Religion Gregory of Nice after having made a long and beautifull Description of Abraham sacrificing his Son Isaac says these words I have often cast my eyes upon a Picture which represents this moving object and could never withdraw them without Tears So well did the Picture represent the thing it self even as if the Action were then passing before my Sight So much these Divine Arts have been always honour'd c. The greatest Lords whole Cities and their Magistrates of Old says Pliny lib. 35. took it for an honour to obtain a Picture from the hands of those great Ancient Painters But this Honour is much fallen of late amongst the French Nobility and if you will understand the cause of it Vitruvius will tell you that it comes from their Ignorance of the charming Arts. Propter ignorantiam Artis virtutes obscurantur in the Preface to his Fifth Book Nay more we should see this admirable Art fall into the last degree of Contempt if our Mighty Monarch who yields in nothing to the Magnanimity of Alexander the Great had not shown as much Love for Painting as Valour in the Wars we daily see him encouraging this noble Art by the considerable Presents which he makes to his chief Painter And he has also founded an Academy for the Progress and Perfectionating of Painting which his first Minister honours with his Protection his care and frequent Visits insomuch that we might shortly see the age of Apelles reviving in our Country together with all the beauteous Arts if our generous Nobility who follow our incomparable King with so much Ardour and Courage in those dangers to which he exposes his Sacred Person for the Greatness and Glory of his Kingdom would imitate him in that wonderfull Affection which he bears to all who are excellent in this kind Those Persons who were the most considerable in Ancient Greece either for Birth or Merit took a most particular care for many ages to be instructed in the Art of Painting following that laudable and profitable custom which was begun and establish'd by the Great Alexander which was to learn how to Design And Pliny who gives testimony to this in the tenth Chapter of his 35th Book tells us farther speaking of Pamphilus the Master of Apelles That it was by the authority of Alexander that first at Sicyon and afterwards thro' all Greece the young Gentlemen learn'd before all other things to design upon Tablets of Boxen-wood and that the first place among all the Liberal Arts was given to Painting And that which makes it evident that they were very knowing in this Art is the love and esteem which they had for Painters Demetrius gave high testimonies of this when he besieg'd the City of Rhodes For he was pleas'd to employ some part of that time which he ow'd to the care of his Arms in visiting Protogenes who was then drawing the Picture of Ialisus This Ialisus says Pliny hinder'd King Demetrius from taking Rhodes out of fear lest he should burn the Pictures and not being able to fire the Town on any other side he was pleas'd rather to spare the Painting than to take the Victory which was already in his hands Protogenes at that time had his Work-house in a Garden out of the Town and very near the Camp of the Enemies where he was daily finishing those Pieces which he had already begun the noise of Soldiers not being capable of interrupting his studies But Demetrius causing him to be brought into his Presence and asking him what made him so bold as to work in the midst of Enemies He answer'd the King That he understood the War which he made was against the Rhodians and not against the Arts. This oblig'd Demetrius to appoint him Guards for his Security being infinitely pleas'd that he could preserve that hand which by this means he sav'd from the barbarity and insolence of Soldiers Alexander had no greater pleasure than when he was in the painting room of Apelles where he commonly was found And that Painter once receiv'd from him a sensible Testimony of Love and Esteem which that Monarch had for him for having caus'd him to paint naked by reason of her admirable beauty one of his Concubines call'd Campaspe who had the greatest share in his affections and perceiving that Apelles was wounded with the same fatal dart of Beauty he made a present of her to him In that age so great a deference was pay'd to Painting that they who had any Mastery in that Art never painted on any thing but what was portable from one place to another and what could be secur'd from burning They took a particular care says Pliny in the place above-cited not to paint any thing against a Wall which could onely belong to one Master and must always remain in the same place and for that reason could not be remov'd in case of an accidental Fire Men were not suffer'd to keep a Picture as it were in Prison on the Walls It dwelt in common in all Cities and the Painter himself was respected as a Common Good to all the World See this Excellent Author and you shall find that the 10th Chapter of his 35th Book is fill'd with the praises of this Art and with the Honours which were ascrib'd to it You will there find that it was not permitted to any but those of noble Blood to profess it Francis the First as Vasari tells us was in love with Painting to that degree that he allur'd out of Italy all the best Masters that this Art might flourish in his own Kingdom Amongst others Leonardo da Vinci who after having continued for some time in France died at Fontainbleau
in the Arms of that great King who could not behold his death without shedding Tears over him Charles the Fifth has adorn'd Spain with the noblest Pictures which are now remaining in the World Ridolphi in his life of Titian says that Emperor one day took up a Pencil which fell from the hand of that Artist who was then drawing his Picture and upon the Compliment which Titian made him on that occasion he said these words Titian has deserv'd to be serv'd by Caesar. And in the same life 't is remarkable That the Emperour valued himself not so much in subjecting Kingdoms and Provinces as that he had been thrice made immortal by the hand of Titian If you will but take the pains to read this famous life in Ridolphi you will there see the relation of all those honours which he receiv'd from Charles the Fifth It would take up too much time here to recount all the particulars I will onely observe that the greatest Lords who compos'd the Court of that Emperour not being able to refrain from some marks of Jealousy upon the preference which he made of the Person and Conversation of Titian to that of all his other Courtiers he freely told them That he could never want a Court or Courtiers but he could not have Titian always with him Accordingly he heap'd Riches on him and whensoever he sent him Money which ordinarily speaking was a great Summ he always did it with this obliging Testimony That his design was not to pay him the value of his Pictures because they were above any price After the example of the Worthies of Antiquity who bought the rarest Pictures with Bushels of Gold without counting the weight or the number of the pieces In nummo aureo mensurâ accepit non numero says Pliny speaking of Apelles Quinctilian inferrs from hence that there is nothing more noble than the Art of Painting because other things for the most part are Merchandice and bought at certain Rates most things for this very reason says he are vile because they have a price Pleraque hoc ipso possunt videri vilia quod pretium habent see the 34th 35th and 36th Books of Pliny Many great persons have lov'd it with an extream Passion and have exercis'd themselves in it with delight Amongst others Lelius Fabius one of those famous Romans who as Cicero relates after he had tasted painting and had practis'd it would be call'd Fabius Pictor as also Turpilius a Roman Knight Labco Praetor Consul Quintus Pedius the Poets Ennius and Pacuvius Socrates Plato Metrodorus Pirrho Commodus Nero Vespasian Alexander Severus Antoninus and many other Kings and Emperours who thought it not below their Majesty to employ some part of their time in this honourable Art The principal and most important part of Painting is to find out and thoroughly to understand what Nature hath made most beautifull and most proper to this Art c. Observe here the rock on which the greatest part of the Flemish Painters have split most of that Nation know how to imitate Nature at least as well as the Painters of other Countries but they make a bad choice in Nature it self whether it be that they have not seen the Ancient pieces to find those beauties or that a happy Genius and the beautifull Nature is not of the growth of their Country And to confess the truth that which is naturally beautifull is so very rare that it is discover'd by few persons 't is difficult to make a choice of it and to form to our selves such an Idea of it as may serve us for a Model And that a choice of it may be made according to the gust and manner of the Ancients c. That is to say according to the Statues the Basso Relievo's and the other Ancient Pieces as well of the Graecians as of the Romans Ancient or Antique is that which has been made from the time of Alexander the Great till that of Phocas during whose Empire the Arts were ruin'd by War These Ancient works from their beginning have been the rule of Beauty and in effect the Authors of them have been so carefull to give them that perfection which is still to be observ'd in them that they made use not onely of one single Body whereby they form'd them but of many from which they took the most regular parts to compose from them a beautifull whole The Sculptors says Maximus Tyrius in his 7th Dissertation with admirable Artifice chose out of many Bodies those parts which appear'd to them the most beautifull and out of that diversity made but one Statue But this mixture is made with so much prudence and propriety that they seem to have taken but one onely perfect Beauty And let us not imagine that we can ever find one natural Beauty which can dispute with Statues that Art which has always somewhat more perfect than Nature 'T is also to be presum'd that in the choice which they made of those parts they follow'd the opinion of the Physicians who at that time were very capable of instructing them in the rules of Beauty Since Beauty and Health ordinarily follow each other For Beauty says Galen is nothing else but a just Accord and mutual Harmony of the Members animated by a healthfull constitution And men said the same Author commend a certain Statue of Polycletus which they call the rule and which deserves that name for having so perfect an agreement in all its parts and a proportion so exact that it is not possible to find a fault in it From what I have quoted we may conclude that the Ancient Pieces are truly beautifull because they resemble the Beauties of Nature and that Nature will ever be beautifull which resembles those Beauties of Antiquity 'T is now evident upon what account none have presum'd to contest the proportion of those Ancient Pieces and that on the contrary they have always been quoted as Models of the most perfect Beauty Ovid in the 12th Book of his Metamorphosis where he describes Cyllarus the most beautifull of all the Centaures says That he had so great a Vivacity in his Countenance his Neck his Shoulders his Hands and Stomach were so fair that it is certain the manly part of him was as beautifull as the most celebrated Statues And Philostratus in his Heroiqnes speaking of Protesilaus and praising the beauty of his face says That the form of his Nose was square as if it had been of a Statue and in another place speaking of Euphorbus he says That his beauty had gain'd the affections of all the Greeks and that it resembled so nearly the beauty of a Statue that one might have taken him for Apollo Afterwards also speaking of the Beauty of Neoptolemus and of his likeness to his Father Achilles he says That in beauty his Father had the same advantage over him as Statues have over the beauty of living Men. This ought to be understood of the fairest Statues
for amongst the multitude of Sculptors which were in Greece and Italy 't is impossible but some of them must have been bad work-men or rather less good for though their works were much inferiour to the Artists of the first form yet somewhat of greatness is to be seen in them and somewhat of harmonious in the distribution of their parts which makes it evident that at this time they wrought on Common Principles and that every one of them avail'd himself of those Principles according to his Capacity and Genius Those Statues were the greatest Ornaments of Greece we need onely open the Book of Pausanias to find the prodigious quantity of them whether within or without their Temples or in the crossing of Streets or in the Squares and publique Places or even the Fields or on the Tombs Statues were erected to the Muses to the Nymphs to Heroes to great Captains to Magistrates Philosophers and Poets In short they were set up to all those who had made themselves eminent either in defence of their Country or for any noble action which deserv'd a recompence for it was the most ordinary and most authentique way both amongst the Greeks and Romans thus to testifie their gratitude The Romans when they had conquer'd Graecia transported from thence not onely their most admirable Statues but also brought along with them the most excellent of their Sculptors who instructed others in their Art and have left to posterity the immortal Examples of their knowledge which we see confirm'd by those curious Statues those Vases those Basso-Relievo's and those beautifull Columns call'd by the names of Trajan and Antonine They are those Beauties which out Author proposes to us for our Models And as the true Fountains of Science out of which both Painters and Statuaries are bound to draw for their own use without amusing themselves with dipping in streams which are often muddy at least troubled I mean the manner of their Masters after whom they creep and from whom they are unwilling to depart either through negligence or through the meanness of their Genius It belongs onely to heavy minds says Cicero to spend their time on streams without searching for the Springs from whence their materials flow in all manner of abundance Without which all is nothing but a blind and rash barbarity c. All that has nothing of the Ancient gust is call'd a barbarous or Gothique manner which is not conducted by any rule but onely follows a wretched fancy which has nothing in it that is noble we are here to observe that Painters are not oblig'd to follow the Antique as exactly as the Sculptors for then their Picture would favour too strongly of the Statue and would seem to be without Motion Many Painters and some of the ablest amongst them believing they do well and taking that Precept in too literal a Sence have fallen thereby into great inconveniencies it therefore becomes the Painters to make use of those Ancient Patterns with discretion and to accommodate the Nature to them in such a manner that their Figures which must seem to live may rather appear to be Models for the Antique than the Antique a Model for their figures It appears that Raphael made a perfect use of this conduct and that the Lombard School have not precisely search'd into this Precept any further than to learn from thence how to make a good choice of the Nature and to give a certain grace and nobleness to all their works by the general and confus'd Idea which they had of what is beautifull as for the rest they are sufficiently licentious excepting onely Titian who of all the Lombards has preserv'd the greatest purity in his works This barbarous manner of which I spoke has been in great vogue from the year 611 to 1450. They who have restor'd Painting in Germany not having seen any of those fair Reliques of Antiquity have retain'd much of that barbarous manner Amongst others Lucas van Leyden a very laborious man who with his Scholars has infected almost all Europe with his designs for Tapestry which by the ignorant are call'd Ancient Hangings a greater honour than they deserve these I say are esteem'd beautifull by the greatest part of the World I must acknowledge that I am amaz'd at so gross a stupidity and that we of the French Nation should have so barbarous a Tast as to take for beautifull those flat childish and insipid Tapestries Albert Durer that famous German who was contemporary to that Lucas has had the like misfortune to fall into that absurd manner because he had never seen any thing that was beautifull Observe what Vasari tells us in the life of Marc Antonio Raphael's Graver having first commended Albert for his skill in graving and his other Talents And in truth says he if this so excellent so exact and so universal a Man had been born in Tuscany as he was in Germany and had form'd his studies according to those beautifull pieces which are seen at Rome as the rest of us have done he had prov'd the best Painter of all Italy as he was the greatest Genius and the most accomplish'd which Germany ever bore We love what we understand c. This period informs us that though our inventions are never so good though we are furnish'd by Nature with a noble Genius and though we follow the impulse of it yet this is not enough if we learn not to understand what is perfect and beautifull in Nature to the end that having found it we may be able to imitate it and by this instruction we may be capacitated to observe those errors which she her self has made and to avoid them so as not to copy her in all sorts of subjects such as she appears to us without choice or distinction As being the Sovereign Iudge of his own Art c. This word of Sovereign Iudge or Arbiter of his own Art presupposes a painter to be fully instructed in all the parts of Painting so that being set as it were above his Art he may be the Master and Sovereign of it which is no easie matter Those of that profession are so seldom endow'd with that supreme Capacity that few of them arrive to be good Judges of Painting and I should many times make more account of their judgment who are men of Sence and yet have never touch'd a Pencil than of the opinion which is given by the greatest part of Painters All Painters therefore may be call'd Arbiters of their own Art but to be Sovereign Arbiters belongs onely to knowing Painters And permit no transient Beauties to escape his observation c. Those fugitive or transient Beauties are no other than such as we observe in Nature with a short and transient view and which remain not long in their subjects Such are the Passions of the Soul There are of these sort of Beauties which last but for a moment as the different Aires of an Assembly upon the
to appear foremost rather than the less for which reason in another passage he vehemently forbids the foreshortinings because they make the parts appear little though of themselves they are great Large or ample c. To avoid the dry manner such as is most commonly the Nature which Lucas van Leyden and Albert Durer have imitated Unequal in their Position so that those which are before must contrast or oppose those others which are himdermost and all of them be equally balanc'd on their Centre c. The Motions are never natural when the Members are not equally balanc'd on their Centre and these Members cannot be balanc'd on their Centre in an equality of weight but they must contrast each other A Man who dances on the Rope makes a manifest Demonstration of this Truth The Body is a weight balanc'd on its Feet as upon two Pivots And though one of the Feet most commonly bears the weight yet we see that the whole weight rests Centrally upon it Insomuch that if for Example one Arms is stretched out it must of necessity be either that the other Arm or the Leg be cast backward or the Body somewhat bow'd on the opposite Side so as to make an Equilibrium and be in a Situation which is unforc'd It may be though seldom if it be not in old Men that the Feet bear equally and for that time half the weight is equally distributed on each Foot You ought to make use of the same Prudence if one Foot bear three parts in four of the Burthen and that the other Foot bore the remaining part This in general is what may be said of the Balance and the Libration of the Body In particular there may many things be said which are very usefull and curious of which you may satisfie your selves in Leonardo da Vinci He has done wonderfully well on that subject and one may truly say that the Ponderation is the best and soundest part of all his Book of Painting It begins at the 181st Chapter and concludes at the 273d I would also advise you to read Paulo Lomazzo in his 6th Book Chapter 4th Del moto del Corpo humano that is the motions of a human Body You will there find many things of great profit for what concerns the Contrast I will onely say in general that nothing gives so much grace and life to Figures See the 43d Precept and what I say upon it in the Remarks The parts must have their out lines in Waves resembling Flames or the gliding of a Snake upon the ground c. The reason of this proceeds from the action of the Muscles which are as so many Well-buckets when one of them acts and draws 't is necessary that the other must obey so that the Muscles which act drawing always towards their principle and those which obey stretching in length and on the side of their insertion it must needs follow that the parts must be design'd in Waves but beware lest in giving this form to the parts you do not break the Bones which sustain them and which always must make them appear firm This Maxim is not altogether so general but that actions may be found where the masses of the Muscles are situate one over against another but this is not very common The out-lines which are in waves give not only a grace to the Parts but also to the whole Body when it is only supported on one Leg. As we see in the Figures of Antinous Meleager the Venus of Medices that of the Vatican the two others of Borghese and that of Flora of the Goddess Vesta the two Bacchus's of Borghese and that of Ludovisio and in fine of the greatest number of the Ancient Figures which are standing and which always rest more upon one Foot than the other Besides that the Figures and their Parts ought almost always to have a serpentine and flaming form naturally these sorts of out-lines have I know not what of life and seeming motion in them which very much resembles the activity of the Flame and of the Serpent According to the knowledge of them which is given us by Anatomy c. This part is nothing known at present amongst our modern Painters I have shewn the profit and even the necessity of it in the Preface of a little Epitome which I have made and which Monsieur Torrebat has Publish'd I know there are some who think this Science a kind of Monster and believe it to be of no Advantage either because they are mean spirited or that they have not consider'd the want which they have of it nor reflected as they ought on its importance contenting themselves with a certain track to which they have been us'd But certain it is that whoever is capable of such a thought will never be capable of becoming a great Designer Design'd after the manner of the Graecians c. that is to say according to the Ancient Statues which for the most part come from Greece Let there be a perfect relation betwixt the parts and the whole c. or let them agree well together which is the same thing His meaning in this place is to speak of the justness of proportions and of the harmony which they make with one another Many famous Authours have thoroughly treated this matter Amongst others Paulo Lomazzo whose first Book speaks of nothing else But there are so many subdivisions that a Reader Must have a good Brain not to be turn'd with them See those which our Author has remark'd in general on the most beautifull Statues of the Ancients I believe them to be so much the better as they are more conformable to those which Vitruvius gives us in the first Chapter of his third Book And which he tells us that he learn'd from the Artists themselves because in the Preface to his Seventh Book he makes his boast to have had them from others and particularly from Architects and Painters The Measures of a Humane Body The Ancients have commonly allow'd eight Heads to their Figures though some of them have but â—â—even But we ordinarily divide the Figure into ten Faces that is to say from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot in the following manner From the Crown of the Head to the Forehead is the third part of a Face The Face begins at the root of the lowest Hairs which are upon the Forehead and ends at the bottom of the Chin. The Face is divided into three proportionable parts the first contains the Forehead the second the Nose and the third the Mouth and the Chin. From the Chin to the pit betwixt the Collar-bones are two lengths of a Nose From the pit betwixt the Collar-bones to the bottom of the Breast one Face From the bottom of the Breasts to the Navel one Face From the Navel to the Genitories one Face From the Genitories to the upper part of the Knee two Faces The Knee
contains half a Face From the lower part of the Knee to the Anckle two Faces From the Anckle to the Sole of the Foot half a Face A Man when his Arms are stretch'd out is from the longest Finger of his Right hand to the longest of his left as broad as he is long From one side of the Breasts to the other two Faces The bone of the Arm call'd Humerus is the length of two Faces from the Shoulder to the Elbow From the end of the Elbow to the root of the little Finger the bone call'd Cubitus with part of the Hand contains two Faces From the box of the Shoulder-blade to the pit betwixt the Collar-bones one Face If you would be satisfy'd in the Measures of breadth from the extremity of one Finger to the other so that this breadth shou'd be equal to the length of the Body you must observe that the boxes of the Elbows with the Humerus and of the Humerus with the Shoulder-blade bear the proportion of half a Face when the Arms are Stretch'd out The Sole of the Foot is the sixth part of the Figure The Hand is the length of a Face The Thumb contains a Nose The inside of the Arm from the place where the Muscle disappears which makes the Breast call'd the Pectoral Muscle to the middle of the Arm four Noses From the middle of the Arm to the begining of the Hand five Noses The longest Toe is a Nose long The two utmost parts of the Teats and the pit betwixt the Collar-bones of a Woman make an equailateral triangle For the breadth of the Limbs no precise measures can be given because the measures themselves are changeable according to the quality of the persons and according to the movement of the Muscles If you wou'd know the Proportions more particularly you may see them in Paulo Lomazzo 't is good to read them once at least and to make Remarks on them every man according to his own judgment and according to the occasion which he has for them Though Perspective cannot be call'd a certain Rule c. That is to say purely of it self without prudence and discretion The greatest part of those who understand it desiring to practise it too regularly often make such things as shock the sight though they are within the Rules If all those great Painters who have left us such fair Platforms had rigorously observ'd it in their Figures they had not wholly found their account in it They had indeed made things more regularly true but withall very unpleasing There is great appearance that the Architects and Statuaries of former times have not found it to their purpose always nor have follow'd the Geometrical Part so exactly as Perspective ordains For He who wou'd imitate the Frontispiece of the Rotunda according to Perspective wou'd be grosly deceiv'd since the Columns which are at the extremities have more diameter than those which are in the middle The Cornish of the Palazzo Farnese which makes so beautifull an effect below when view'd more nearly will be found not to have its just measures In the Pillar of Trajan we see that the highest Figures are greater than those below and make an effect quite contrary to Perspective increasing according to the measure of their distance I know there is a Rule which teaches a way of making them in that manner and which though 't is to be found in some Books of Perspective yet notwithstanding is no rule of Perspective Because 't is never made use of but onely when we find it for our purpose for if for example the Figures which are at the top of Trajan's Pillar were but as great as those which are at the bottom they wou'd not be for all that against Perspective and thus we may say with more reason that it is a rule of Decorum in Perspective to ease the sight and to render objects more agreeable 'T is on this general observation that we may establish in Perspective the rules of Decorum or convenience whensoever occasion shall offer We may also see another Example in the base of the Farnesian Hercules which is not upon the level but on an easie declivity on the advanc'd part that the feet of the Figure may not be hidden from the sight to the end that it may appear more pleasing which the noble Authors of these things have done not in contempt of Geometry and Perspective but for the satisfaction of the Eyes which was the end they propos'd to themselves in all their works We must therefore understand Perspective as a Science which is absolutely necessary and which a Painter must not want Yet without Subjecting our selves so wholly to it as to become slaves of it We are to follow it when it leads us in a pleasing way and that it shows us pleasing things but for some time to forsake it if it lead us through mire or to a precipice Endeavour after that which is aiding to your Art and convenient but avoid whatsoever is repugnant to it as the 59th rule teaches Let every Member be made for its own Head c. That is to say you ought not to set the Head of a Young man on the Body of an Old one nor make a white Hand for a wither'd Body Not to habit a Hercules in Taffeta nor an Apollo in course stuff Queens and persons of the first quality whom you wou'd make appear Majestical are not to be too negligently dress'd or indishabile no more than Old men The Nymphs are not to be overcharg'd with drapery in fine let all that which accompanies your Figures make them Known for what effectively they are Let the Figures to which Art cannot give a Voice imitate the Mutes in their Actions c. Mutes having no other way of speaking or expressing their thoughts but onely by their gestures and their actions 't is certain that they do it in a manner more expressive than those who have the use of Speech for which reason the Picture which is mute ought to imitate them so as to make it self understood Let the principal Figure of the Subject c. 'T is one of the greatest blemishes of a Picture not to give knowledge at the first Sight of the Subject which it represents And truly nothing is more perplexing than to extinguish as it were the principal Figure by the opposition of some others which present themselves to us at the first view and which carry a greater lustre An Orator who had undertaken to make a Panegyrick on Alexander the Great and who had emply'd the strongest Figures of his Rhetorique in the praise of Bucephalus would do quite the contrary to that which was expected from him Because it would be believ'd that he rather took the Horse for his Subject than the Master A Painter is like an Orator in this He must dispose his matter in such sort that all things may give place to his principal Subject And if the other Figures