THE DRAWING.

…where they frequently deviate. It is with this intention that we have previously provided the most beautiful Antique figures, with their proportions measured exactly from the originals.

As the best example we have in this study, is the manner in which Raphael handled his works; it is good to draw them at the same time, to serve as a guide in the fortunate blend he made of the Antique and nature. It is also worth noting, in passing, that in Antiquity there is a general taste spread across all works of that time, characterized by a simple, noble beauty without artifice, such as nature in its perfection can produce, and independent of the particular fashions of each nation, which are only embellishments received in one place and rejected in another. This taste characterizes each figure according to its age and quality. It is up to the young student to make considerations on this, in time and place, following the insight of their judgment.

Assuming that one has completed the studies just discussed with all the time and application they require, they should be seen as steps that elevate the mind to the knowledge of nature, as it is and as it should be. It is through these initial studies that we assess the flaws that chance has put in a model, as well as the perfections it lacks. This way, we then see, by comparing the idea we have formed of true beauty, what needs to be added or reduced in nature to render it in the state we desire. Hence, this would be the place (a), according to M. de Piles,

(a) Other people think that the study from the model should have preceded, to a certain point, the reflective study of the Antique, that is to say

Translation Notes:

- "Antique" refers to classical Greek and Roman art and sculpture.

- "M. de Piles" likely refers to Roger de Piles, a notable art critic and painter theory author from the same period.