The text discusses artistic depictions of heads from various angles and positions. It distinguishes between naturally viewed heads and those depicted in various unconventional positions, emphasizing the understanding of these different perspectives for artistic purposes. It also highlights the importance of alignment and proportion in the portrayal of heads, suggesting methods for artists to accurately capture these features.
Artistic Face Observation
can be observed, as they appear differently in life and can be placed or viewed from different positions by an observer, leading to different appearances.
Secondly, we propose the differences in the depiction of heads, which are also termed physiognomies. (We will always consider one in lieu of the other, and generally treat both equally in terms of the stated situational position) concerning two distinct types: namely, Natural and Accidental.
Natural Heads are those that are viewed without any change in their own simple natural posture and proportion, at the center of the oval face area (whether from the front, back, completely from the side, or tilted without any inclination or bending, backward, forward, or sideways).
Accidental ones are those seen entirely by means of deviation, inclination, and bending from the previous Natural position, either below or above the observer's eye level; and whether in front, behind, sideways, or foreshortened, or seen differently; as the following will further detail.
To easily understand the Natural Positions of a Head or Physiognomy, the following should be noted: Namely, a straight plumb line descending from the crown, through the collar bones and vertebrae of the neck, aligns the Head along the line as if around a pivot, without any tilting or bending...
Translation Notes
Teykenkundige Tronie-schouwing - Translated as "Artistic Face Observation." "Tronie" refers to faces or physiognomies, "Teykenkundige" refers to art or artistic studies.
Hoofden - Typically means "heads" but here implies the artistic depiction of them.
Geslagten - Religious or philosophical terms referring to "types" or "kinds."