Preface.

There are already so many books for learning drawing that it might seem unnecessary to add another. Indeed, there is hardly any painter or engraver with some skill who hasn't published a collection of studies of heads, feet, hands, and even full figures, either nude or clothed, under the title of Drawing Book. Everyone knows those by Lairesse, Bloemaert, Gerard Hoet, Bischop, Sandrart, and Le Clerc; the studies by Watteau; and many others included in the works of great masters. It's true we should see them less as books and more as collections of prints suitable for training the hand and taste of those who want to practice the art of drawing because, with the exception of those by Lairesse & Hoet, there isn’t a single one that contains even a page of discourse or the slightest element of drawing instruction.

In 1740, a book titled “New Method for Learning to Draw without a Teacher” was published, accompanied by many plates drawn and engraved by Abr. Bosse. A collection of vignettes and some academies drawn from nature by M. Cochin was also included. Even though the text was quite brief and there were entire chapters with no relevance to the art of drawing, along with many uninteresting and tasteless plates, the few principles contained were well-received by artists and amateurs, leading to the entire edition selling out. Therefore, it was thought to be of service to these same people by composing a new work based on the plan of the old one, while also providing more order and depth to the principles to aid young people in their study of this great art. All the previously engraved plates by Bosse, which were mostly poorly defined, have been removed, and instead there are larger studies of heads and other parts of the human body taken from paintings by the greatest Italian masters, such as Raphael, the Caracci, Domenichino, and Guido.

Thus, it is hoped that the chosen selection of their most beautiful pieces to be engraved and the provided precepts...