The text discusses how courage is depicted in both humans and animals, focusing on how the head's position can convey various emotions and characteristics like courage or weakness. It elaborates on the movements of facial features as indicators of different emotions and actions, and notes how Leonardo da Vinci observed these subtle differences, particularly in eyebrows and facial folds. The narrative emphasizes the complexity and multiplicity of facial expressions.
298 Real Actions
to recognize a courageous heart: And as this is in humans, it is similar for horses, where virtue mainly consists in courage, when they hold their heads up proudly and let their necks sink to the chest.
When the head hangs sideways, it indicates an unmanly weakness. If it is stiffly held against the wind, it shows stubbornness, inflexibility, and an orc-like obstinacy, amongst others; besides that, the movement of the head can convey agreements, disagreements, and affections.
The movements of the parts of the face are so numerous that we can barely attempt to list them. The most notable are mainly about laughing, crying, scolding, singing, speaking, amazement, anger, melancholy, delight, sadness, fear, anxiety, pain, and so forth: Among these signs, some are very similar to each other while others differ greatly depending on the action or emotion, or a more or less urgent cause. Despite cries and laughter typically having two different and opposing causes, the apparent features and folds of the face are not very different: the most visible are noticed at the mouth, cheeks, and eyes. Leonardo da Vinci believed the distinction was mainly in the eyebrows and the area above the nose bridge. However, we have observed in life, that there
Translation Notes:
'Schreyen' is used here to describe 'crying out' or emotional expressions not simply as 'crying'. 'Hufterig' loosely translates to 'stubborn' or 'hardheaded', and needs to be explained in its context as obstinate behavior.