The text discusses the proportions of the human body in artistic representation, emphasizing the use of different units like "heads" to measure and compare body parts. Lomazzo's method of proportioning figures to 8 heads is considered superior to using 10 heads, which can result in figures that are less aesthetically pleasing. The discussion includes various observations about how different body proportions relate to traditional artistic standards and notable examples, like those resembling the figure of Hercules.
Measurement and Proportion of Limbs
which provides an easy and clear division. We add this according to his own setup, noted here, and leave the artist to study and judge, with the caveat that due to the negligence of the printmaker, the proportion of the extended arm is somewhat shortened. The example provided by Lomazzo, who proportioned it to 8 heads, largely agrees with our previous discourse sketch, and the divisions of the parts correspond similarly to the differences we have noted on the spot. Those with more models than this must acknowledge that such proportioned figures are better and more pleasing than those based on 10 heads, which he calls the extraneous proportion. Just as these in length project, he also set others made of 7 heads, which are short and very compact. A proportion that he believes is befitting to Hercules or to figures that are short, stocky, and full of flesh; as various old observations have indicated. We will not dwell on these now, but note that we endow ourselves with awareness of what daily life and experience offer us at hand: wherever we then easily realize that there is such proportional variety among human figures; that the measurements of one do not entirely fit well with another.
The female figure that Lomazzo mentioned is also depicted with 10 attitudes, is about a full head longer than the mentioned male figure.
Translation Notes
Proportion: Used in the sense of the relative size of different parts of the body, often measured in "heads," where a "head" refers to the height of the head itself as a unit of measurement.